Mahon Tribunal:The Mahon tribunal has confirmed it is to proceed on Monday next with the opening of the Quarryvale module.
The tribunal deferred the opening of the module in April after the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, called the general election.
The module will begin with what is expected to be a lengthy opening statement outlining in broad terms the evidence which the tribunal expects to hear. The statement may include details of the tribunal's inquiries into Mr Ahern's personal finances.
The tribunal's registrar, Peter Kavanagh, yesterday confirmed to The Irish Timesthat the module would now proceed as scheduled.
The tribunal website has listed 125 witnesses it intends calling during the module, which is likely to last into next year.
The tribunal is inquiring into planning matters related to the construction of Liffey Valley shopping centre, Dublin, in the 1990s.
The development was led by the Cork businessman Owen O'Callaghan. Another businessman involved, Tom Gilmartin, has alleged that Mr Ahern received payments from Mr O'Callaghan. Both Mr Ahern and Mr O'Callaghan have strongly rejected the allegation.
Mr Gilmartin is scheduled to begin giving his evidence on Tuesday. When Mr Ahern will be called is not clear.
At the time of the Liffey Valley or Quarryvale development in west Dublin, the backers of the project were concerned at the possibility that a rival development in Blanchardstown might be granted tax-designation status.
At the time Mr Ahern was minister for finance and had a role in the allocation of tax-designation status to selected areas.
From a political point of view, the key issues with the opening statement will be the extent to which it outlines the findings of the tribunal's inquiries into Mr Ahern's finances, whether the statement contains any new information, and whether it differs in any way from Mr Ahern's public statements.
As part of its inquiries into the allegations made against Mr Ahern, the tribunal examined his bank accounts and personal finances to see if there was any evidence of the payments alleged by Mr Gilmartin.
It was while explaining transactions across his accounts that Mr Ahern told the tribunal of payments received by him in 1993 and 1994 from supporters and friends, and his practice of holding large amounts of money in cash.
He has also told the tribunal of the arrangements he entered into with Manchester-based businessman Michael Wall, the man who rented a house in Drumcondra to Mr Ahern and subsequently sold it to him.
The list of witnesses due to be called includes all those people who gave money to Mr Ahern and who are still living, as well as Mr Wall and Mr Ahern's former partner, Celia Larkin.
Also scheduled to give evidence are Ken Morris, Judge David Anderson and Judge Hugh O'Donnell.
Mr Morris is a solicitor and the two judges are former solicitors. All three had an involvement with matters to do with the house Mr Wall sold to Mr Ahern, in the wake of the death of solicitor Gerard Brennan, who acted for both Mr Ahern and Mr Wall, up to his death in 1997.
