Celia holds her own in tribunal grilling
ON TAKING the witness stand, Celia Larkin explained how she was a volunteer in Bertie Ahern’s constituency office and worked in a number of departments where he was minister until she retired from the civil service in 1999. Based now in Killaloe, Co Clare, she runs a number of beauty salons. She agreed she had a very close professional, political and personal relationship with the Taoiseach over a number of years.
Ms Larkin was then asked by tribunal barrister Henry Murphy about information she provided to the tribunal in relation to money given by Manchester-based businessman Michael Wall to Mr Ahern in December 1994.
Henry Murphy: I want to suggest to you that you’ve to date given three different accounts to the tribunal about how that money got into that account on the Monday morning?
Celia Larkin: Three different accounts?
HM: Yes?
CL: Explain?
HM: I will but do you accept that?
CL: I accept that I gave an account in the interview which was to my best recollection at the time.
HM: Yes?
CL: And I accept that it was clarified subsequently. I don’t know where the third account comes in.
Later Ms Larkin admitted that she had discussed the matter with Mr Ahern after she had been contacted by the tribunal in May 2006.
HM: You looked for your bank accounts?
CL: I did. I looked at the detail in relation to the house because he was being asked. Or he told me he was being asked about the house. But I had no reason to believe that I would be called because all the information was well documented as to what happened.
HM: You did not ask him at that time would you be called?
CL: I asked what the likelihood of my being called was.
HM: So it wasn’t a surprise to you when this tribunal wrote to you?
CL: No, I’d had got a phone call prior to the letter.
HM: It wasn’t a surprise to you when you got the phone call?
CL: It’s always a surprise to get a phone call from a tribunal.
The evidence then moved to how the £30,000 was lodged in the AIB branch O’Connell Street on December 5, 1994.
HM: You were asked by Mr Ahern to collect a briefcase?
CL: Yes.
HM: When did he ask you?
CL: On the Sunday night he asked me to collect it on the Monday morning.
HM: And why didn’t you tell the tribunal that in your statement or in your interview?
CL: Because I didn’t recall the detail.
HM: What is the detail you didn’t recall?
CL: The detail of events. I was more concerned about how the money was administered, because as far as I was concerned the money was lodged and I had to deal with how it was administered. That’s what I was responsible for. There was no question that the money was lodged. There was no question that I had lodged Michael’s money. There was no question that Bertie’s money was transferred. So it wasn’t something that I racked my brains on but believe me, I racked my brains since.
The questioning continued on this topic for some time.
HM: You knew precisely how much money you were going to be bringing tothe bank to put into this account?
CL: We’re talking in legal terms here and if you say precisely then I can’t say precisely. I was awarethat it was in and around £30,000.
HM: Well now hold on a second, Ms Larkin. If you’re now going to be in charge of this money, somebody else’s money, and your brief is to open an account in your own name and administer that money for the house and presumably account for it, you would have to know?
CL: I was dealing with my life partner and a friend of his. So I would have taken the money and lodged it.
HM: And whose money was it?
CL: It was Michael’s money.
HM: But he wasn’t your life partner?
CL: No, Bertie was.
Ms Larkin was then asked about the Taoiseach’s specific instructions to her about lodging the money.
HM: Did he give you any specifics about bringing Michael’s money to the bank?
CL: He said he would ring Philip [Murphy, AIB branch manager].
HM: All right. When was he going to do that?
CL: On the Monday, he was going to Brussels so he couldn’t go himself to the bank.
HM: What time was he going to Brussels at?
CL: I don’t recall.
HM: But did he?
CL: It could have been Strasbourg. It could have been Brussels. I can’t recall to be honest.
HM: He was leaving Casement [aerodrome] at seven in the morning?
CL: Okay.
HM: But he could have rung Philip Murphy on his mobile, I suppose?
CL: I’m not sure whether mobiles were around then.
HM: I’ve no idea.
CL: And you give out to me for not remembering detail.
The questioning moved to the actual currency conversion.
HM: You came away knowing what went in was the figure IR£28,772.90?
CL: Yes.
HM: So that you as the person who had charge of this money on this particular day had no way of telling anybody, if it was ever required, how much money you had brought in. I mean to make sure, for example, that you hadn’t taken some of it or whatever?
CL: I don’t think there was ever any question with my life partner that he would think I had taken any money at all. Are you suggesting that I did?
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