Bertie gave Boss carte blanche to help himself

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern’s habit of signing blank cheques for Charles Haughey “undoubtedly facilitated the misuse” of taxpayer funds by the late party leader, according to the first report of the Moriarty Tribunal.

During Mr Haughey’s tenure as leader of Fianna Fáil, which began in 1979, the Party Leader’s Allowance was paid into a bank account held with AIB on Lower Baggott Street, in Dublin.

The allowance is a payment made by the Exchequer to the leaders of political parties to assist in financing their organisation’s parliamentary activities. The money is generally used for office and administrative expenses.