The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was questioned for more than an hour yesterday about why he had not informed the tribunal about a 1996 inquiry he made about a substantial donation from property developer Mr Mark Kavanagh.
It was a lengthy interview, given that Mr Ahern's evidence was clear from early on, but Mr John Coughlan SC kept returning to why the Taoiseach had not brought the matter to the attention of the tribunal.
Mr Ahern's evidence was, essentially, that he had not remembered the incident and wouldn't have thought the matter was important even if he had. "If hindsight were foresight there wouldn't be a problem," he said.
Mr Ahern said it was not so much an inquiry as a "query" that he had made in 1996. He said he knew since last year that the tribunal had discovered that Mr Charles Haughey may have misappropriated party funds. However, the inquiry he made in 1996 had established that the donation of £25,000 made by Mr Kavanagh had been received and a receipt issued.
It was not until the solicitors for Fianna Fail, Frank Ward & Co, contacted the tribunal on Thursday afternoon last week that it learned of any Fianna Fail inquiry in 1996 concerning the donation. This occurred because a question on the matter had been received by the party from a journalist with TV3. Even then the full details were not given to the tribunal.
Mr Kavanagh seemed aggrieved he had not received sufficient recognition for his 1989 donation, and it was felt that if the matter was not cleared up a further donation would not be forthcoming, Mr Ahern said.
He had contacted Mr Sean Fleming about the matter because Mr Kavanagh had complained to Mr Eoin Ryan snr, then a party fund-raiser, and Mr Ryan had in turn contacted him.
Mr Ahern said no figure was mentioned to him by Mr Ryan. However, he believed Mr Fleming would have mentioned a figure to him - £25,000 - and he accepted Mr Fleming's evidence that he was probably told the receipt had been given to Mr Haughey.
However, when he met Mr Kavanagh, who gave him a "verbal bashing" over his earlier donation not being acknowledged, no figure was mentioned by either man. Mr Kavanagh then gave Mr Ahern a cheque for £50,000.
The cheque was in an envelope, Mr Ahern said. "I hope it was white."
Mr Ahern said he did not remember the matter when, last Wednesday week after a parliamentary party meeting, Mr Fleming told him that £75,000 given to the party by Mr Kavanagh had gone missing. He did not remember the matter until party headquarters telephoned him the next day. He was in Co Tipperary and the party had received an inquiry from TV3.
In relation to the documents which were not supplied to the tribunal, Mr Ahern said he did not know the details concerning the documentation which existed in party headquarters about donations received. He said his instructions were that all party officials should co-operate fully with the tribunal.
