The Mahon tribunal is to begin hearing evidence this afternoon in relation to a number of bank lodgments made on behalf of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in the early 1990s.
The tribunal yesterday said it would pursue public hearings into aspects of Mr Ahern's finances during a period when he was serving as minister for finance, despite claims by his lawyers that it has no jurisdiction to continue them in the wake of a recent Supreme Court judgment.
Mr Ahern said yesterday he was unlikely to take a High Court challenge against the tribunal's decision to proceed with its investigations into his finances.
AIB foreign exchange expert John Garrett is expected to take the witness stand this afternoon. He is expected to answer questions about the bank's policies on the application of different exchange rates for different types and values of transaction.
A lodgment made on Mr Ahern's behalf in December 1994 and that the tribunal has been told was a cash lodgment comprising substantial amounts of sterling conflicts with the bank's records, which show no such sterling lodgment could have been made.
The Mahon tribunal says the amount lodged is the equivalent of exactly $45,000, based on one of the dollar exchange rates applied by the bank on the day in question. Mr Ahern has said he was not involved in any dollar transactions.
Other witnesses scheduled to be heard at the Dublin Castle hearings this week include Philip Murphy, the AIB official who dealt directly with Mr Ahern during the early 1990s.
The Taoiseach is set to give evidence on Thursday and Friday next week, while former partner Celia Larkin and businessman Michael Wall are scheduled to take the stand on Wednesday.