Resignation in the air at Dublin Castle

IRISH politicians won’t thank Eddie O’Sullivan for making resignations fashionable as Bertie Ahern’s tribunal troubles took another turn for the worse this week.

Faced with damning evidence that he had misled the nation with his accounts (of performances), the Irish rugby coach finally took the honourable course of falling on his sword.

Down at the Mahon Tribunal, it’s a parallel universe where Bertie’s buddies who troop through the witness box are more likely to fall down upon their word.

However, resignation was in the air in Dublin Castle yesterday but only to the point that Bertie’s former constituency secretary, Gráinne Carruth, was resigned to accepting that she had given incorrect information to the tribunal lawyers during a private meeting in July 2006.

On Tuesday, Ms Carruth had been asked in that innocent yet vaguely menacing manner to “consider her evidence overnight” — the type of warning most famously associated with amnesia sufferers such as Frank Dunlop.

It arose after evidence emerged which showed Ms Carruth had lodged a total of stg£15,500 in cash to bank accounts belonging to Bertie and his two daughters at the Irish Permanent branch in Drumcondra in the period March-October 1994, contrary to her own previous assertions that she had only ever lodged Bertie’s salary cheques to his account.

The woman, who admitted to shaking for two hours after being confronted with “incontrovertible” documentary evidence about the error of her memory, wasn’t exactly quaking in her boots yesterday as she replied in the negative to an initial invitation to alter, change, qualify or add to her previous evidence.

However, she eventually conceded that it was factually incorrect, although in the best tradition of tribunal witnesses, Ms Carruth balked at conceding she had told an untruth.

Ms Carruth confessed that her solicitor had not explained to her the consequences of failing to tell the truth to the tribunal — a €300,000 fine and/or two years in jail plus the possibility of a separate prosecution for perjury, noted tribunal barrister, Des O’Neill helpfully.

Asked if she’d like to consult her lawyer, Hugh Millar, Ms Carruth replied meekly: “I just want to go home, judge.”

Ms Carruth broke down when quizzed about why she had not contacted Bertie when she became aware of the sterling transactions.

She sobbed as she explained her priority was her children who were not with her during the current mid-term — a reference that evoked memories of a certain TV interview by Bryan Dobson and a lachrymose Taoiseach.

Not satisfied with the invocation of offspring, Mr O’Neill repeated the question until Ms Carruth tearfully conceded that she was hurt and upset, although it was unclear what or who exactly was the source of her misery.

At this point, the hearing was adjourned to allow the witness to compose herself, although Ms Carruth faced another 10 minutes of probing by the three-person tribunal on her return.

Quickly exiting Dublin Castle, she was forced to endure the taunt of one bystander who roared in her direction: “Tell the truth and get on with your life.”

Interestingly, Bertie’s lawyers were notable by their absence at Dublin Castle yesterday which meant nobody was able to question Ms Carruth on behalf of the Taoiseach who has consistently denied ever having sterling in such an account.

One trusts that the eminent barristers Conor Maguire and Colm Ó hOisín have not resigned.