Taoiseach stands by friends’ appointments

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern has defended his appointing of personal friends to the boards of State bodies.

In the much-publicised interview Mr Ahern gave in September to explain the circumstances behind payments he accepted from businessmen, he denied offering anything in return.

He insisted that none of his appointees to State boards had been chosen because they gave him money, saying: “I appointed them because they were friends, not because of anything they had given to me”.