Any new inquiry into the finances of Mr Charles Haughey has lost one of its most important potential witnesses, with the death of the Cayman Island banker, Mr John Furze. Mr Furze (55) was probably the second most important source of information on Mr Haughey's money after the late Mr Des Traynor. Mr Furze died in a Miami hospital on Friday, four days after heart surgery.
Mr Furze had extensive personal knowledge of Mr Haughey's financial transactions. He also controlled vital documents and it is not known if these are still in existence or have been destroyed.
Mr Furze's business partner, Mr Barry Benjamin, told The Irish Times he had no information on the "Ansbacher Deposits".
"He [Mr Furze] might have been the kind of man that would have destroyed these things, perhaps with a view to protecting innocent investors."
The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands has refused to allow the Dunnes tribunal team to hear evidence or view documents relating to the accounts known as the Ansbacher deposits. The team appealed this judgment recently and will now have to reassess its strategy.
Mr Furze had opposed the tribunal's application that he should be compelled to give evidence to it. The appeal by the tribunal could be fought by the executors of Mr Furze's will which could delay proceedings for months.
The report of the Tribunal of Inquiry (Dunnes Stores) into payments to politicians is expected to be delivered to the Clerk of the Dail, Mr Kieran Coghlan, in the last week of August. Plans have been made for its immediate publication by the Government.
The Government will hold its next Cabinet meeting on Thursday, August 28th, and it is understood that Mr Justice McCracken's findings will be in the public domain by then. The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has said the Dail will be recalled within a fortnight of receipt of the report to debate its findings and consider the necessity for a second tribunal.
Mr Furze was involved with the setting up of the Guinness Mahon Cayman Trust in 1974, and worked closely with Mr Traynor. After his death in 1994, Mr Furze took away Mr Traynor's files relating to the Ansbacher deposits.
Up to his death, Mr Furze controlled payments of up to £300,000 a year used to meet the costs of Mr Haughey's lifestyle.
Mr Benjamin said the Ansbacher deposits were "basically ancient history at the time I came along. There are many, many loose ends. But the files may not even be in the office. This was not anything we dealt with currently". Mr Benjamin said Mr Furze had been under a "terrible strain" since the tribunal opened. "He was one of the kindest, hardest-working men I've ever known." Mr Furze gave money regularly to individuals and charities, he said.
Mr Benjamin said his business partner had been "very upset" by the inquiry and had "the highest regard" for Mr Traynor.
"His feeling was that it's very easy to place the blame on someone who's no longer here, which was the case with Mr Traynor, and which I hope won't be the case with Mr Furze.
He said Mr Furze told him he only met Mr Haughey once, at Des Traynor's funeral in May 1994. "We are holding no money for Charles Haughey, or for anyone in Ireland as far as I know," Mr Benjamin said.
