‘Ahern must clarify peculiarities at tribunal’

FINE Gael launched a stinging attack on “glaring contradictions” in Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s explanations of his personal finances last night as the Mahon Tribunal was beginning a week of explosive hearings.

FG senator and senior counsel Eugene Regan insisted the Taoiseach must use his appearance before the corruption probe to clarify “extraordinary peculiarities” regarding the money he accepted from businessmen and friends while finance minister in the early 1990s, which the senator said was equivalent to €300,000 in today’s prices.

The inquiry was recalling AIB official Rosemary Murtagh to give evidence today after her testimony in July that a deposit equivalent to IR£28,772.90 was “probably” in dollars provoked controversy. Mr Ahern had insisted the 1994 deposit, into then partner Celia Larkin’s account, resulted from Stg£30,000 given to him by his then landlord Michael Wall.