Ahern denies bid to frustrate corruption probe

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today denied he tried to frustrate the work of an anti-corruption inquiry as he faced a five-hour grilling in the witness box by its lawyers.

The former accountant said the erratic flow of cash between several bank accounts in the 1990s was partly due to his busy political career and his chaotic personal life following a marriage break-up.

Mr Ahern, who was re-elected Taoiseach for a third time in June, told the Mahon Tribunal today he had waited for more than seven years to clear his name against “reckless and scurrilous” allegations of accepting bribes.

He also rebutted specific Tribunal claims that almost £30,000 cash lodged into a bank by his former partner in 1994 was actually a sum of $45,000.

Mr Ahern was applauded by about 20 people as he left the Tribunal buildings at Dublin Castle. He is due to appear at the planning corruption inquiry again tomorrow.

A combative Mr Ahern earlier read out a 12-page statement to the Tribunal denying he had taken bribes during his 30-year political career.

“I have been tormented about theses issues since May 8, 2000. I have waited seven-and-a-half years for this day.”

He added: “The false allegations against me and the leaking of Tribunal documents have been calculated to do my enormous personal and political damage,” he said.

He continued: “The bank transactions took place at a time of particular personal turmoil and upset for me, and at a time when I was simultaneously attempting to discharge onerous public and party duties as Finance Minister and Fianna Fáil leader.”

The Taoiseach also denied Tribunal claims that he tried to withhold information on bank and telephone records between 2005 and 2006.

Lawyers had threatened to summons him to the Tribunal to get the data.

“All the time I genuinely tried to respond quickly and efficiently to the Tribunal. I never intentionally tried to delay things.”

“It took me considerable hardship and knee-bending and begging to collect the information required. It took up all of my personal time for weeks – and I wonder if anybody even looked at it in the end.”

Mr Ahern gave his testimony before about 100 journalists and a packed 200-seat public gallery. His former partner Celia Larkin gave evidence to the inquiry yesterday about administering bank accounts on his behalf in the early 1990s.

The Tribunal is investigating four bank lodgements between 1994 and 1995 linked to Mr Ahern that involved foreign exchange totalling around £70,000.

The Taoiseach denied US dollars were ever lodged into his bank accounts.

“There are no dollars. There were never any dollars. It is a complete red herring,” he said in the witness box.

The inquiry also briefly referred to allegations made by developer Tom Gilmartin who alleged that Mr Ahern had invested £15m in an offshore bank account in Jersey and other sums were lodged in England, Liechtenstein and Dutch Antilles.

“It was difficult enough to have onshore accounts, not to talk of offshore accounts,” Mr Ahern quipped.

Another allegation also claimed he bribed two colleagues to blackmail a government minister.

“If that were true, I would have been finished,” Mr Ahern said today.