AIB official has ‘no recollection’ of Ahern’s £30,000

MYSTERY surrounds a stg£30,000 sum Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has told the Mahon Tribunal he acquired at his Dublin bank in 1995.

The tribunal, probing Mr Ahern’s personal finances, heard there were no paper documents showing the transaction in AIB bank’s branch in O’Connell Street, Dublin.

Mr Ahern, due to testify next week, has already told the tribunal he bought the sterling intending to give it to Manchester-based businessman Micheal Wall to refurbish a Drumcondra house. Mr Wall owned the house which Mr Ahern was renting. The Taoiseach subsequently bought the house.

AIB assistant manager Philip Murphy, who personally handled substantial amounts of cash on Mr Ahern’s behalf, told the tribunal he had “no recollection” of the stg£30,000 transaction.

“I have no reason to doubt what Mr Ahern says. I am saying I don’t have a recollection,” he yesterday told Henry Murphy SC.

Counsel pointed out the highest recorded daily sterling sale at the branch for the period — the first half of 1995 — was stg£9,000 and the average daily sterling sale was stg£2,133.65.

When pressed whether he accepted what Mr Ahern said, the witness said, if Mr Ahern said it happened, he would accept that.

The tribunal heard how a banking relationship arose between the AIB official and the Fianna Fáil politician after they originally met at a book launch in the Mansion House in 1986 when Mr Ahern was Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Some time later, Mr Ahern asked him to give some banking assistance to an employee, Celia Larkin, who became a customer of the bank.

In December 1993, the witness received a phone call that Mr Ahern wanted to arrange a loan. The two men met and, from that time, Mr Ahern became a customer of the bank.

The tribunal heard how Mr Ahern went to the bank at the end of December 1993 with IR£22,500, of which IR£15,000 was cash.

In April 1994, Mr Murphy went to Mr Ahern’s constituency office at St Luke’s in Drumcondra and Mr Ahern gave him IR£30,000 in cash for lodgement.

In August that year, the witness went to St Luke’s and Mr Ahern gave him IR£20,000, for lodgement.

Ms Larkin lodged IR£28,772.90 to an account in her name at the bank on October 5, 1994. Ms Larkin has informed the tribunal this sum came from stg£30,000.

Judge Alan Mahon rejected an application by Mr Ahern’s lawyer, Conor Maguire SC, that the author of a document relating to foreign currency exchange rates be called as a witness.

Judge Mahon ruled the document was purely an aid for the tribunal. It was for illustrative purposes and was not evidence.

The tribunal resumes on Tuesday.