Former Fianna Fáil Minister Mr Ray Burke said he "would very much appreciate" a payment of £60,000 when advised of the builder Mr Tom Brennan's intention to make a political donation to him in 1984, the Flood tribunal heard this afternoon.
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Former Fianna Fáil Minister Mr Ray Burke
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Mr Brennan has been attending the tribunal to answer questions about alleged payments made by a number of his companies to Mr Burke.
Today Mr Brennan was contradictory in relation to the £60,000 and said contrary to his own earlier testimony and that of his business partner Mr Joe McGowan the payment did not come from official fundraising but was a political donation sourced from their offshore company Canio Ltd.
But in March this year Mr Brennan said in a letter from his solicitors to the tribunal the money did not come from a Channel islands account.
Mr Burke has told the tribunal the money he received came from fundraising activities and that he was told this by Mr Brennan and Mr McGowan. ButMr Brennan today denied ever speaking to Mr Burke about fundraising.Counsel for the tribunal Mr Patrick Hanratty SC accused Mr Brennan, Mr McGowan and another witness Mr John Finnegan of "singing from the same hymn sheet" on fundraising and said the "excuse" only began to change to that of political donation once the tribunal's information deepened.
Earlier today Mr Hanratty accused Mr Brennan of misleading and obstructing the work of the tribunal.
It was alleged this morning Mr Brennan and MrMcGowan also made a payment of £35,000 to Mr Burke in 1984. But Mr Brennan denied knowledge of the payment.
Mr Hanratty put it to Mr Brennan he and Mr McGowan had decided not to provide voluntary information to the tribunal on their off-shore businesses in the Channel Islands and Mr Brennan had "obstructed and hindered the tribunal in its work".
Mr Brennan accepted he had decided to answer only as questioned but denied he had tried to hinder the tribunal. "That's not true - I tried to help in every detail that I had," he said.
But Mr Hanratty claimed the tribunal was forced to engage in a "huge trawl" in order to discover the Channel Island business detailsbecause Mr Brennan had "concealed" the information.
Mr Brennan agreed he had not informed his own solicitor of the Channel Islands business until March 14th of this year, by which time the tribunal had already discovered them.
Appearing exasperated, Mr Hanratty asked Mr Brennan: "When is this going to stop Mr Brennan, when is this tribunal going to hear the truth from you?"
The tribunal continues tomorrow.