Taoiseach cannot recall £30,000 exchange transaction

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday admitted he could not recall where, when or how stg£30,000 was purchased by him to pay back businessman Michael Wall.

Finishing over 18 hours of evidence at Dublin Castle, Mr Ahern said it was likely someone else, from his office or elsewhere, had carried out the foreign exchange transaction for him.

He had checked with colleagues or friends but no one has confirmed changing the money on his behalf.

It was cashed sometime between January and June 1995, he claims.

Tribunal barrister Des O’Neill pointed out the money changed for Mr Ahern far exceeded the amount of sterling converted daily, which averaged about stg£2,000.

Mr Ahern said the money might have been changed at an AIB branch in O’Connell Street or in Drumcondra, Dublin. Banks regularly ordered large amounts from different branches to cater for large exchanges, the inquiry heard.

However, there were no AIB details recording money converted for Mr Ahern to stg£30,000. Mr O’Neill also noted a branch would have to stock up on sterling for three weeks to cover this exchange.

Mr Ahern says the stg£30,000 was converted from IR£50,000 he asked then-partner Celia Larkin to withdraw from her account and he later stored in his constituency office safe. He said he could not recall driving Ms Larkin to AIB in O’Connell Street to withdraw the IR£50,000, despite Ms Larkin claiming so.

The stg£30,000 allegedly purchased later was either to go on Beresford house which he was renting from Mr Wall or be returned to the businessman.

It was divided up into stg£10,000 and stg£20,000 and spent refurbishing the house through two subsequent account lodgments. Mr Ahern only detailed the stg£30,000 purchase to the tribunal this April, a year and half after it first sought his transaction details.

Mr O’Neill claimed yesterday Mr Ahern during the same period had failed to ask his bank about foreign exchange details, despite knowing about several payments. Mr Ahern and AIB disagree if he requested details before then about foreign currency transactions, the present focus of the inquiry trawl into the Taoiseach’s finances.

Mr O’Neill suggested again Mr Ahern had failed in his obligations under an order of discovery to initially reveal his knowledge about foreign exchange transactions.

Judge Alan Mahon said the tribunal was not dealing with an issue of non-compliance. It was not a matter for “this phase” of the inquiry, he said.