Ahern: 'I never received improper payments'

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said that he has "no difficulty providing or explaining details" about his personal finances.

In an interview with Sky Television today Mr Ahern said he was happy to clarify matters, which had threatened to cause coalition partners the PDs to quit the Government.

Mr Ahern was speaking after PD leader and Tánaiste Michael McDowell called on the Taoiseach to make a public statement about his personal finances and statements he had made to the Mahon Tribunal.

"I have no difficulty whatever giving the details that I have given in private sessions with Tribunals publicly," the Taoiseach said.

The Taoiseach said that he "never received any improper payment from which he gained financially".

"In relation to any questions about my renting a house and then purchasing a house - I have no problem whatever in showing anyone the details," he said.

"Anything I ever gained or benefited, which was not much, was always done in proper circumstances. I have never been involved in anything that was improper at any time in a long political career.

"I have never misled people in relation to my personal finances. Any of the records are there," he added.

He said that he had to submit 20 years of his records to the Tribunals.

"I have given all these to two tribunals over the last number of years and (to the) revenue authorities. A lot of these matters were meant to be confidential but I am afraid we have a different definition of that word nowadays," he said.

Mr Ahern said that the Tribunals asked him whether he received money from property developer Owen O’Callaghan and whether he did something to block the tax designation of a shopping development in the west of Dublin.

"On both of those I did nothing. I had no involvement and absolutely denied any involvement in them," he said.