Further Mahon grilling for Ahern in autumn

FORMER taoiseach Bertie Ahern is facing further questioning in the witness box at the Mahon tribunal in September, the Irish Examiner has learnt.

Mr Ahern is being called back to the inquiry as it completes its investigation into the rezoning of Quarryvale (now known as the Liffey Valley shopping centre).

It will be his 14th day in the witness box when the now backbencher TD returns to Dublin Castle. The Mahon tribunal has pencilled Mr Ahern in for two days of questioning.

The tribunal, which Mr Ahern has admitted was a factor in his decision to quit as taoiseach, is continuing to question Cork developer Owen O’Callaghan this week.

Rival developer Tom Gilmartin has alleged that Mr O’Callaghan gave £80,000 to Bertie Ahern for his assistance on Quarryvale when he was Minister for Finance.

The purpose of part of the alleged payments was to block tax designation for the rival Blanchardstown shopping centre being developed by Green Property.

Both Mr O’Callaghan and Mr Ahern firmly reject the claim.

Mr O’Callaghan last month said the claim was “absolute and total rubbish”.

Mr Ahern’s first appearance at the inquiry into planning corruption dates back to April 7, 2004. However the bulk of his appearances in recent years have centred on questions about his personal finances.

During his last round of questioning at Dublin Castle last June 17, Mr Ahern was asked by tribunal lawyers about the purchase of his home at Beresford Avenue in Drumcondra in Dublin during the mid-1990s.

His scheduled appearances on September 15 and 16 will be his second time appearing at Mahon since stepping down as taoiseach in May.

More embarrassing questions will be levelled at Mr Ahern, just days before his Fianna Fáil successor Taoiseach Brian Cowen returns to the Dáil after the summer break.

The continuing appearance of Mr Ahern before Mahon is also certain to overshadow his recent lucrative deal with a high-profile international agency for public speaking engagements.

The Washington Speakers Bureau has signed up the 56-year-old in a deal that will net Mr Ahern about €60,000 per speech for public speaking engagements.

His return to Dublin Castle will come just a few days after his 57th birthday.

Mr Ahern’s scheduled appearance in September confirms the tribunal’s intentions to continue its public sittings beyond the summer break, a period previously set as a deadline for hearings.