‘If he wants to disown me that’s his business’

BERTIE AHERN yesterday rounded on top-flight stockbroker Padraic O’Connor — the man he called a close personal friend — who gave him £5,000 in 1993.

“If years later he wants to disown me and doesn’t know me well that’s his bloody business, not mine,” an angry Mr Ahern said during his second consecutive day at the Mahon Tribunal.

Mr O’Connor has given evidence he was asked for a corporate donation for the running of Mr Ahern’s constituency office.

He said he was not a close personal friend of Mr Ahern and insisted his donation was for the running of Mr Ahern’s constituency — not to him personally.

Tribunal chairman Judge Alan Mahon said if they were to accept Mr O’Connor’s evidence as accurate — that the £5,000 was not for Mr Ahern personally — it would mean there was no “dig-out” producing £22,500 for Mr Ahern in the manner he (Taoiseach) believed and had given evidence.

The chairman said the dig out would have come to £17,500 in that situation.

Mr Ahern said he was surprised in 1993 to see Mr O’Connor had given him £5,000 — double that of other friends — in a personal donation.

Tribunal lawyer Des O’Neill SC said Mr Ahern’s legal team did not question Mr O’Connor at the tribunal on this matter, and Mr Ahern accepted this was the position.

During Mr O’Connor’s time as head of NCB Stockbrokers, Mr Ahern said he was in his office “endlessly”.

He himself had gone to a number of functions in support of Mr O’Connor, knew him and his friends and family, and had even visited his house.

Mr Ahern said he did not want his friends to organise a fundraiser for him in late 1993. His solicitor, the late Gerry Brennan — who was a long-standing friend and political supporter — organised the donations.

On December 27, 1993, Mr Ahern said he received the so-called first goodwill loan of £22,500.

He recalled Mr Brennan gave it to him in the St Luke’s constituency office on that evening following a race meeting in Leopardstown.

There was “no argument” with Mr O’Connor about giving the £5,000; the only argument was there were two Bertie Ahern accounts — one personal, the other a constituency one.

“He says I should have put it into the constituency one and I thought it was a personal thing. Maybe that was a misunderstanding, but that’s the position as I know it.”

Mr Ahern said he met Mr O’Connor in January 1994 and thanked him for his contribution.

He could not remember saying he would pay him back.

Tribunal counsel noted that Mr O’Connor in his evidence said Mr Ahern had never thanked him or contacted him about the receipt of the monies. And there was never any discussion about receipt of the monies at any time by Mr Ahern.

Mr Ahern rejected Mr O’Connor’s evidence on this matter, insisting: “I did thank him.”