Ahern’s ‘self-serving’ tribunal attack criticised

THE Taoiseach’s attack on the Mahon Tribunal was a “self-serving” and “desperate attempt” to divert attention from the serious questions surrounding the money he took, said the opposition yesterday.

Labour deputy leader Joan Burton said Mr Ahern’s attack, which echoed similar comments by several of his ministers before Christmas, was “clearly part of a concerted effort, decided at governmental level, to try to undermine the tribunal”.

She also implied if Mr Ahern was the leader of any other parliamentary democracy he would have been removed from office by now given the questions hanging over him. “The unprecedented attack by the Taoiseach on the Mahon Tribunal is clearly part of a desperate attempt to divert attention away from the gaping holes uncovered by the tribunal in accounts Mr Ahern gave to the Dáil of the circumstances in which he received substantial amounts of money from wealthy businessmen in 1993 and 1994 and the serious new issues which have now emerged as to whether or not he met his obligations in regard to tax,” she said.