Ahern repayment of loan ‘a surprise’

AN Australia-based businessman has admitted surprise that Bertie Ahern repaid him money 13 years after he had contributed £2,500 to a “dig-out” for the former Taoiseach in the mid-1990s.

Michael Collins, an Irishman who is now based in Sydney, told the Mahon Tribunal yesterday that he had never expected to get the money back from Mr Ahern.

Mr Collins was one of six people who each contributed £2,500 as a “dig-out” payment to the former Fianna Fáil leader in December 1993.

He told the planning inquiry he was informed by his former business partner, Des Richardson, that money was being collected for Mr Ahern because he was financially hard up because of his marital separation.

However, under questioning by Tribunal barrister, Des O’Neill SC, Mr Collins admitted that he had never known Mr Ahern to be short of cash during their long acquaintance.

He pointed out that Mr Ahern had verbally thanked him for the payment and had mentioned on several occasions during the intervening years that he wished to repay the money.

The tribunal heard that Mr Collins had received a cheque for €5,914 in September 2006 from Mr Ahern as a repayment with an apology for any delay in returning the money.

Mr Collins said he was quite surprised and pleased to receive such an acknowledgement, even though he had never thought of asking Mr Ahern for the money.

He recalled phoning Mr Ahern to thank him but also stated that he would not be cashing the cheque.

Mr Collins said he had received no explanation from Mr Ahern why the money was being repaid after 13 years.

He said he first met the Dublin Central TD in 1980 through Mr Richardson — a former Fianna Fáil fundraiser and close associate of Mr Ahern.

Mr Collins said he would like to think he would now be considered by the former Taoiseach to be a close personal friend.

The businessman said he never considered at the time of contributing the money to Mr Ahern that he would get it back. He did not regard the money as a loan when he made the donation but Mr Ahern had phoned him a few months later to state that he was accepting the money on the basis it was a loan.

However, he stressed that the question of repaying the money “was never the focus of our main conversation” whenever they spoke over the following years.

He was unaware of the purpose to which Mr Ahern intended to use the money and he did not know the identity of any of the other “dig-out” contributors.