Taoiseach's finances:Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has acknowledged there is a "difference of views" between himself and the former managing director of NCB, Padraic O'Connor, over a £5,000 payment in 1993.
The £5,000 formed part of £22,500 which Mr Ahern said was the first of two "dig-outs" given to him in 1993 and 1994, which he accepted on the basis they were loans that would be repaid.
Mr O'Connor has told the Mahon tribunal he never intended to make a personal donation to Mr Ahern in 1993.
The tribunal has been told by the former stockbroker that he was asked in 1993 by Mr Ahern's associate, Fianna Fáil fundraiser Des Richardson, to make a contribution to Mr Ahern's Dublin constituency operation.
In an interview with RTÉ radio earlier this week, Mr Ahern said he did not believe the money donated by Mr O'Connor was mistakenly interpreted as a contribution to him personally when it was in fact meant for his constituency operation. He said there was a difference of views between the two sides.
It is understood Mr O'Connor has told the tribunal that it was indicated to him in 1993 that Mr Ahern had been appointed national treasurer for Fianna Fáil so he was not making requests for contributions for his own constituency. Mr Richardson, he said, told him he was doing so on Mr Ahern's behalf.
The tribunal was also told that in 2005 Mr O'Connor was asked by Mr Richardson to recall the details of the payment, and again in 2006. On both occasions he told Mr Richardson that the donation was an NCB rather than a personal contribution.
Last October, Mr Ahern told RTÉ and the Dáil that the payment was a personal contribution from Mr O'Connor and that like other payments from Irish friends at the time, he had accepted it on the basis that it was a loan.
Later last year he said he had repaid the loans to all his friends, along with interest.
Mr O'Connor has informed the tribunal that, despite his comments to Mr Richardson in 2005 and 2006, he had received an unsolicited cheque from Mr Ahern purporting to be the return of the £5,000 plus interest. He said he did not cash the cheque.
Mr Ahern said he had regular contact with Mr O'Connor in 1993 as he was providing advice to him in his role as minister for finance.
Mr Ahern said that when NCB gave donations to the party, the cheques were made directly to Fianna Fáil. The £5,000 payment was not made in such a manner and Mr Ahern said he believed it was self-evident that the payment was not intended for the party.
Mr Ahern was also told that Mr O'Connor would take issue with Mr Ahern's description of him as a close personal friend. Mr Ahern said Mr O'Connor may not be as close to him as others who had given him money, but he would have still considered him a close enough friend.
Mr Ahern said he did not think Mr Richardson had told him of what Mr O'Connor had said in 2005 and 2006. Up to autumn of last year he believed the money had been a personal contribution to him from Mr O'Connor.
Inquiries by the tribunal discovered that in fact NCB wrote a cheque to Euro Workforce Ltd for £6,050 in December 1993, a company for which Mr Richardson has on occasion worked as a consultant. The NCB accounts record the payment as £5,000 plus VAT, for a health and safety survey. Mr O'Connor has said the survey was never carried out.
The tribunal has also established that the cheque was not cashed until April 1994 and so could not have formed part of the December 1993 payment to Mr Ahern. Mr Ahern said the £5,000 was received by him in the form of a bank draft made out to Mr Richardson.
There was no comment from Mr Richardson or NCB yesterday. Mr O'Connor could not be contacted. There was no comment from the Taoiseach last night.
