FG complaint could lead to third Ahern inquiry
The Mahon Tribunal is investigating payments made to Mr Ahern in the 1990s, while the Revenue is assessing whether the Taoiseach owes tax from that period. Tomorrow, Fine Gael is expected to announce it is filing a complaint about Mr Ahern’s tax affairs to the State’s ethics watchdog, the Standards in Public Office Commission. That would leave Mr Ahern facing three separate inquiries into his personal finances.
Fine Gael has delayed announcing the complaint because it does not want to be seen moving against the Taoiseach while he is on state business abroad.
Party leader Enda Kenny was heavily criticised in some quarters for breaking with this convention last Saturday by releasing a statement critical of the Taoiseach as he was embarking for Africa. But Mr Ahern returns from the trade mission tonight, and that will clear the way for the move. The complaint will centre on whether Mr Ahern broke the law by obtaining a tax clearance certificate following the 2002 election.
Ethics legislation requires TDs to furnish the Standards Commission with a tax clearance certificate within nine months of an election, but Fine Gael believes Mr Ahern could not have been tax compliant at the time given the monies he accepted in the 1990s. Mr Ahern has insisted, to the best of his belief, he was, and remains, tax compliant.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern said yesterday he had always co-operated with the tribunal. “I have co-operated with the tribunal for the past decade and will continue to do that,” he said. He refused to say whether he believed the tribunal was exceeding its remit by investigating his personal finances.
Mr Ahern was also asked about a motion which Fine Gael will table when the Dáil resumes at the end of the month, which calls on TDs to reaffirm their support for the tribunal.
The motion is in response to what Fine Gael claims has been a “sinister” campaign by FF ministers to question the integrity of the tribunal.
Mr Ahern said the Government would examine the motion when it came up.
Green minister Eamon Ryan followed his party leader John Gormley in confirming his support for the tribunal yesterday. Fine Gael TD Simon Coveney welcomed Mr Ryan’s statement, but said the minister should go further.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael has admitted Enda Kenny knew Mr Ahern was travelling to Africa over the weekend on state business when he issued his scathing attack on his personal finances. Traditionally, the opposition does not raise contentious political issues when the Taoiseach is representing the country abroad and Fine Gael was criticised in some quarters for doing so.
But the party said its attack on the Taoiseach was not timed to coincide with Mr Ahern’s visit to Africa.
