The deputy leader of Fine Gael, Ms Nora Owen, was planning to give Mr James Gogarty immunity from prosecution in the days before she left office as Minister for Justice in 1997, the Flood Tribunal was told yesterday. The purpose of the immunity was to gain his testimony, which the then minister saw as her "parting shot" against Fianna Fail, it was claimed.
This account was put forward by Mr Garrett Cooney SC for the Murphy group during his cross-examination of Mr Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs.
Mr Cooney suggested that Mr Ahern had told Mr Joe Murphy jnr at a meeting in London before the present Coalition took power that Ms Owen was "the most dangerous politician of them all". Mr Cooney also said that Mr Ahern had remarked that his own name was being mentioned as a future Minister for Justice and that if Mr Gogarty was given immunity, he as Minister for Justice could find out what sort of immunity had been granted.
Mr Ahern acknowledged that his name had been mentioned in connection with the justice portfolio in the days leading to the formation of the present Government, but he flatly rejected the suggestion that he had made any such remark to Mr Murphy jnr.
Mr Ahern also said he had never made any such remark about Ms Owen granting immunity as a parting shot against Fianna Fail. He could be sure of that because "I wouldn't regard her as the most dangerous politician of them all", he commented.
Mr Dermot Ahern did acknowledge however that the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, contacted the Garda Commissioner and the Director of Public Prosecutions with regard to the possibility of Mr Gogarty being given immunity.