‘Evidence of plot to discredit Ahern’

EXTRAORDINARY claims concerning the Taoiseach’s personal finances emerged yesterday as the Mahon Tribunal decided whether it has the power to continue its probe into Bertie Ahern’s affairs.

Judge Alan Mahon will today rule on demands from the Taoiseach’s lawyers that the corruption investigation has lost its jurisdiction to examine Mr Ahern’s conduct.

With a little more than a week to go before Mr Ahern and his former partner Celia Larkin are due to give evidence to the probe, claims emerged of an attempt to lodge a sterling sum equivalent to €175,000 into the Taoiseach’s bank account in 2005.

It is understood that Mr Ahern believes the gist of weekend reports to be broadly correct and views it as evidence of a wider “plot” to discredit him.

The latest twist in thetangled saga of the Taoiseach’s finances hinges on an alleged attempt to deposit the sterling amount in Mr Ahern’s Drumcondra Permanent TSB account in March 2005.

The money, apparently from a firm of English solicitors, was intended for lodgment in the account of a Mr B Ahern.

When contacted to see if he was expecting the money, the Taoiseach informed the bank he was not and the amount was returned, according to the claims.

Mr Ahern’s supporters see the story as evidence backing his claims of a “conspiracy” being orchestrated to bring him down via claims of financial impropriety.

Mr Ahern alleged during the general election campaign that the “Bertiegate” revelations last September that he took a €50,000 dig out from friends while finance minister in the early 1990s resulted from a meeting between five people at a Galway hotel last August. However, Mr Ahern hasrefused to name those he claims “plotted” to bring him down.

It was later revealed that Mr Ahern had also accepted a €12,000 whip-round from businessmen in Manchester during a dinner he attended with them while he wasfinance minister in 1994.

Despite Mr Ahern stating he was “looking forward” to putting his side of the story to the tribunal regarding the purchase of his Drumcondra home, his lawyers insisted a proper reading of the Supreme Court’s ruling that the probe did not have authority to investigate the Fitzwilton Group’s £30,000 donation to Fianna Fáil meant it could not continue its probe into Mr Ahern’s affairs either.