Corruption allegations - Ahern must address claims against Flynns

The allegations raised over the weekend by the Sunday Business Post and TV3 into financial dealings involving former minister Pádraig Flynn, also a former EU Commissioner, and his daughter Beverly Flynn cannot be ignored by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Given that they are allegations at this stage, they are extremely serious ones, involving as they do charges of tax evasion by a former Fianna Fáil Government minister on the advice of his daughter, who is a TD in the present Fianna Fáil-PD Coalition Government.

So, too, is another Sunday newspaper report that the Taoiseach allegedly hindered the planning tribunal by not providing documents it has sought for the past five years.

Following these allegations, Fine Gael has called for the suspension of normal Dáil business tomorrow to facilitate the Taoiseach making a statement on this latest controversy.

According to TV3, a cheque for £50,000 given by developer Tom Gilmartin to Mr Flynn in 1989 was lodged into a non-residential bank account in his and his wife’s names, and that half of it was later invested offshore on the advice of their daughter.

Furthermore, it asserted that the Flynns signed a declaration giving a false London address in order to avoid DIRT tax at a time when both were resident in Ireland.

The circumstances of the controversial cheque for £50,000 handed over by Mr Gilmartin will be the subject of scrutiny by the Planning Tribunal, as will other evidence from him, sometime early this year.

While it would be wrong to try to pre-empt the proceedings at the tribunal, the current allegations will have to be addressed by the Taoiseach.

He cannot plead that the business of the tribunal should not be trespassed upon, because damning allegations are already in the public domain concerning one of Mr Ahern’s party TDs and a former Government minister.

Mr Ahern has already refused to respond to the allegation arising from the TV3 coverage, despite the urgings of the Labour Party to do so.

It is the bounden duty of the opposition to ensure the probity of the Government in matters of fundamental issues of integrity and these are allegations so serious that they have to be pursued in the Dáil.

Under no circumstances should the Taoiseach, or his party, attempt to undermine the legitimate responsibility of the opposition probing these allegations, who are obliged to do so.

They would be guilty of betraying the trust of the people if they did not.