Gormley: Ahern 2012 exit plan news to me

GREEN leader John Gormley last night greeted Bertie Ahern’s plan to stay in office until mid-2012 by saying, “it’s news to me”.

As controversy continued to rage following the explosive tribunal revelation that Mr Ahern’s former partner, Celia Larkin, received a £30,000 “loan” from Fianna Fáil funds to buy a house, the Environment Minister again insisted he was not the Taoiseach’s moral “watchdog”. However, Mr Ahern’s strong indication that he planned to remain Taoiseach until just before his mandate ends in June 2012 appeared to surprise the leader of the junior coalition partner.

After one of his Green Oireachtas colleagues broke ranks and warned that Mr Ahern was in a “Tony Blair situation” — a reference to confusion over when he will stand down during this parliament — Mr Gormley refused to be drawn on whether the Greens would prefer to see him leave earlier rather than later.

“I’m not going to make any statements on that because that would just be a headline,” he said.

The Green leader also side-stepped calls from Fine Gael for Ms Larkin to be removed from the National Consumer Council.

FG enterprise spokesman Leo Varadkar said it was “inappropriate” for her act as a consumer champion after it was reported the Revenue may investigate the funds she received from Fianna Fáil in 1993. Mr Ahern told the tribunal no legal paperwork was drawn-up for the “loan” and the money was suddenly repaid in the last few weeks, 15 years after it was given.

Mr Varadkar said he would raise the matter in the Dáil.

“The Enterprise Minister should never have appointed Ms Larkin to such a position in the first place. How can she be seen as a champion of the consumer now after all this has emerged?

“She received this gift from Fianna Fáil in 1993 and it is very doubtful whether she paid tax on it.”

Ms Larkin refused to break her public silence on the matter during a speaking engagement in Limerick.

The home “loan” had been expected to dominate the Mahon Tribunal, but the Dublin Central Fianna Fáil constituency party was allowed further time to find documents relating to the matter and the probe was adjourned for the day.

Social and Family Affairs Minister Martin Cullen insisted nothing “corrupt or criminal” had been involved in the “loan”, though he said he had not heard of a similar thing happening in other Fianna Fáil cumainn.

Mr Gormley said he would not become involved in the row.

“This is really a matter for the Fianna Fáil party. It arose in the context of the tribunals. Allegations made about Dublin Central Fianna Fáil party is a matter for them. I am not the watchdog on probity and other matters for other parties.”