FG accuses Ahern of misleading Dail

Fine Gael has accused the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, of misleading the Dail over the Government's veto of the ESB's plans to buy eight electricity companies in Poland.

Mr Ahern told the Dail that the ESB had not realised the magnitude of the £1bn project until the week before the deal was supposed to be finalised.

However, Fine Gael's Jim Higgins said Department of Finance documents dating back to February show that the ESB was fully aware of the scale of the project at all times and for the Taoiseach to say otherwise it "absolutely outrageous".