BERTIE AHERN’S former partner Celia Larkin was given an unsecured £30,000 loan by Fianna Fáil 15 years ago — but it was only repaid “in the period since Christmas”, the Mahon Tribunal learned yesterday.

LODGMENTS up to three times greater than his salary were discovered in Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s personal deposit account with a building society during the early 1990s, the Mahon Tribunal heard yesterday.

BERTIE Ahern’s purchase of his Drumcondra home was at the centre of fresh controversy last night as questions were raised whether files given to the Mahon corruption probe had been altered.

BERTIE AHERN yesterday rounded on top-flight stockbroker Padraic O’Connor — the man he called a close personal friend — who gave him £5,000 in 1993.

PUBLICAN Charlie Chawke told the Mahon Tribunal yesterday he had no difficulty giving IR£2,500 in cash — his share of a £22,500 whip- round among friends in late 1993 — to help Bertie Ahern with his marital separation legal fees.

The Mahon Tribunal has been told that Bertie Ahern at first refused to accept so-called "dig-out" money from friends to help pay his marriage separation legal costs.

FOR sentimental reasons, Maureen Gunne told the Mahon Tribunal yesterday she has kept Bertie Ahern’s personal cheque for €5,914 — the proceeds of a loan, plus interest — given to the Taoiseach by her late husband Fintan 13 years earlier.

Lodgments, loans and lost friendships — the Mahon Planning Tribunal has turned the spotlight on a series of puzzling events before Christmas 1993, reports Conor Ryan

IN ITS current line of investigation the planning tribunal has turned to one man to explain Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s complicated finances.

IN September 2006 An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern went on RTÉ and described NCB stockbroker Padraic O’Connor as among his long-standing friends.

ECONOMIST Padraic O’Connor — the former head of NCB Stockbrokers — told the Mahon Tribunal yesterday he still does not understand how two close associates of Bertie Ahern could have considered him to be a personal friend of the Taoiseach.

FORMER Fianna Fáil chief fundraiser Des Richardson told the Mahon Tribunal yesterday he discovered only this year Bertie Ahern had taken out a bank loan 14 years ago to meet legal bills arising from his marriage separation, rather than use £22,500 raised in a whiparound.

CELIA LARKIN’S four different versions of events about the IR£28,772.90 paid to Bertie Ahern from businessman Michael Wall.

The following is the full transcript of the interview Taoiseach Bertie Ahern gave to RTÉ news.

THE threat of further taxi strikes receded yesterday after taxi unions achieved progress in talks with the Department of Transport.

SIPTU, which represents 2000 taxi drivers, have called for the new taxi regulator and the Minister for Transport to suspend the issuing of licences.

SIPTU representative Gerry Brennan says that the stoppage in Dublin today will continue over a period of time.

FURTHER reform of the taxi industry may be linked to up-coming compensation claims arising from deregulation, it emerged last night.

SIPTU taxi drivers will return to work at midday today after a twelve-hour work stoppage.

SIPTU taxi drivers in the city are to meet with Dublin Corporation tomorrow to discuss fare increases.

Taxi drivers with SIPTU are to consider the withdrawal of their services.