Ahern denies wrongdoing in passport affair

The Taoiseach tonight denied any wrongdoing in helping a Manchester tycoon secure an Irish passport in 1994.

Last month, Bertie Ahern denied supporting plans by businessman Norman Turner to build a controversial casino in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

Fine Gael, who uncovered the new information from parliamentary questions, called for a full statement on the issue and vowed to raise it in the Dáil tomorrow.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said that Mr Ahern did nothing wrong by helping to facilitate the passport application

“Any suggestion that it was inappropriate to facilitate a passport for a person who was legally entitled to hold one is totally mischievous and completely wrong.

“Many TD and Senators help members of the public to apply for passports and this application would have been no different,” the spokesman said.

The latest revelation came just as the Dáil had concluded the first stage of a motion reaffirming confidence in the work of the Mahon Tribunal, which is probing Mr Ahern’s personal finances.

Fine Gael said it will pass on the information about the 1994 passport application to the public inquiry to investigate.

The party said it established that Mr Ahern applied for the passport through his office on August 5, 1994 and it was issued four days later.

In 1994, Mr Turner was planning a multi-million euro casino development in the Phoenix Park but then Finance Minister Mr Ahern recently claimed he was opposed to the idea and never gave any political support to the tycoon.

Mr Hogan said: “The Taoiseach must now make a full and honest statement about his relationship with Mr Turner.

“This new information also raises new issues for Government party leaders John Gormley and Mary Harney and they must confront Mr Ahern with this new information.

“I will be passing this information to the Mahon Tribunal to assist them in their enquiries.

“I also intend returning to this matter in the Dáil tomorrow where we continue to debate the Government’s attempts to undermine the Mahon Tribunal.”

Former An Post chief John Hynes claimed last month that Mr Ahern gave “implicit approval” as Finance Minister to the National Lottery to open talks on the casino development being promoted by Mr Turner’s Sonas consortium.

Mr Ahern immediately disputed Mr Hyne’s claims and insisted he never supported the plans in any way.

“This close relationship is completely at odds with the Taoiseach’s continuous claim that he opposed the casino project in Government and in opposition,” Mr Hogan added tonight.

“The timing of the issue of the passport is significant given what we now know about financial transactions involving Mr Ahern and his associates during 1994.”

The Tribunal has already heard that Mr Ahern’s Fianna Fail fundraiser, Mr Des Richardson was given US 10,000 by Mr Turner in 1994.

A parliamentary reply by the office of the Foreign Affairs Minister to Mr Hogan said Mr Ahern was following the normal procedures for passport applications forwarded by the offices of Oireachtas members.

“For instance, in 2007, 6,200 such passports were dealt with through offices of Oireachtas members,” the reply said.