Mr Ray Burke ended the conversation abruptly when Mr Frank Connolly spoke to him in 1996 about allegations of payments to him in connection with planning, the journalist told the tribunal yesterday.
Mr Connolly said he also spoke to Mr Bertie Ahern when he was the leader of the opposition on the evening of the election in 1997.
It was a not very lengthy conversation about the allegations and Mr Gogarty's claim. Mr Ahern had said that he was aware and conscious of the allegations and he intended to get to the bottom of the story.
The journalist said he had spoken to Mr Burke in 1996 about another item he had written for the Sunday Business Post, about the passport investment scheme and Mr Burke's role in the handing of 11 passports to a Saudi sheikh. He had discussed that with Mr Burke. Mr Burke had said he defended any action he had taken as a minister.
However, Mr Connolly said, when he broached the alleged payment to Mr Burke by JMSE and Bovale at Mr Burke's home, Mr Burke said he did not want to continue the conversation and terminated it rather abruptly.
Asked by Mr Desmond O'Neill SC, for the tribunal, if Mr Burke acknowledged there had been such a meeting, Mr Connolly said Mr Burke did not acknowledge anything.
The journalist also said questions were sent to Mr John Gallagher, Mr Burke's adviser, who also declined to give any definite replies. Mr Connolly said he had spoken about the story to Ms Nora Owen of Fine Gael about the story on one occasion and to Mr Dermot Ahern.
He had talked to Mr Dermot Ahern on the morning Mrs Mary McAleese was nominated as a candidate for the presidency. He met Mr Ahern in Buswell's Hotel, Molesworth Street, Dublin. He had asked Mr Ahern if he could outline the investigation being carried out into the alleged payments to Mr Burke.
Mr Connolly had asked if Mr Ahern could give an outline of what Mr Joseph Murphy had said to him at their meeting in London. Mr Ahern had told him it was confidential and that he did not wish to discuss it. During his investigations Mr Connolly said he talked to Mr Michael Brady, a relation through marriage of Mr Burke and also treasurer of the Fianna Fail North Co Dublin constituency organisation.
Mr Connolly said his main concern was whether a donation had been made to the constituency accounts. The conversation with Mr Brady was not amicable. Mr Brady said he did not keep accounts but if he did they would not be available to the public and certainly not to a journalist. There was a brief discussion on whether they could access the accounts but it was not productive.
He had also spoken to Mr Gerry Downes, former JMSE group chief accountant, who denied any involvement in corrupt payments or payments to politicians.