‘I am not a liar and I did not tell lies to tribunal’

FORMER supermarket boss Ben Dunne has branded the report of the Moriarty Tribunal as “very flawed” after it declined to accept that his failure to recall making payments worth almost £2 million to Charles Haughey was genuine.

An angry Mr Dunne yesterday claimed the findings of tribunal chairman, Mr Justice Michael Moriarty were “an absolute disgrace” for “effectively calling me a liar”.

The millionaire businessman also hinted he might take some form of legal action to reverse the tribunal’s conclusions.

“I am not a liar and I did not tell lies to the tribunal,” said an emotional Mr Dunne yesterday. He insisted he “genuinely forgot” about making a number of large payments to Mr Haughey between 1987 and 1993, largely as a result of his medical condition.

The Moriarty Tribunal said it could not agree with the conclusion of the earlier McCracken Tribunal that there was “no wrongful use of his position by Mr Haughey” in relation to money he received from Mr Dunne.

It concluded that there was reason to infer that the motive for all the payments was connected to Mr Haughey’s position as Taoiseach and his potential to influence matters relating to Dunnes Stores.

The tribunal found Mr Dunne’s role in making payments of almost £2m to Charles Haughey was “both substantial and crucial”.

It also claimed he was selective in his recollection of dealings with the former Fianna Fáil leader who died last June, aged 80.

Mr Justice Michael Moriarty said Mr Dunne appeared to adopt the same approach as he did with the McCracken Tribunal, in that he disclosed no information about any payments.

When confronted with details about such transactions, he subsequently pleaded ignorance through lack of recollection.

Although Mr Justice Moriarty described the 57-year-old businessman as a courteous witness, he said could not accept Mr Dunne’s claims, notwithstanding medical reports, that he had no recollection of making such payments.

The tribunal chairman said he had observed that Mr Dunne was an astute and observant witness about many matters relating to the Dunnes Stores trust, in contrast to his recall of payments to Mr Haughey.

“It is the tribunal’s view that Mr Dunne was at all times fully aware of all the payments which he made to Mr Haughey and the tribunal cannot accept that he had any absence of recollection,” said Mr Justice Moriarty.

He noted that the McCracken Tribunal had already identified five payments by Mr Dunne to the former Taoiseach between 1987 and 1991, worth over stg£1.2m (€1.8m).

However, neither Mr Dunne nor Mr Haughey, disclosed any information to the tribunal about a further five payments between the parties for the January 1987 and May 1993 — three totalling £232,000 and two amounting to stg£482,700.

It stated that all the payments — with the exception of a personal cheque for £20,000 from Mr Dunne which was lodged directly to an account in Mr Haughey’s name — were paid “in the most elaborate and complex manner”.

The report suggests that Mr Dunne was initially approached for contributions as early as February 1987, after Mr Haughey was elected Taoiseach, and not November that year as stated in the McCracken Tribunal.

Ben Dunne, describing himself as “very upset and very annoyed”, said Mr Justice Moriarty would have difficulties if he ever had to prove his conclusions.