The leader of the Senate, Mrs Mary O'Rourke, has backed up a claim by property developer Mr Tom Gilmartin that he met a number of Fianna Fáil ministers in Leinster House in 1989.
In her evidence to the Mahon tribunal today, Mrs O'Rourke said she recalled being introduced to Mr Gilmartin at a "gathering" attended by several cabinet members, some time between mid February and March of that year.
She said she had been brought to the meeting by the then minister for environment, Mr Pádraig Flynn, who described Mr Gilmartin as a man who was "going to make thousands of jobs for Dublin".
Mrs O'Rourke, who was minister for education at the time, said along with Mr Flynn, she remembers then taoiseach Mr Charles Haughey, Mr Bertie Ahern, her brother the late Brian Lenihan, and Mr Ray Burke being present at the meeting.
However Mrs O'Rourke said she did not recall seeing Mr Albert Reynolds, Mr Seamus Brennan or Mr Gerard Collins, all of whom Mr Gilmartin claims attended.
She told the tribunal she saw "nothing untoward" in government ministers meeting someone who may provide jobs at a time of high unemployment.
She described the meeting as a "gathering" in which a number of people were just standing around. She said she was introduced to Mr Gilmartin from across the room and "we nodded at each other".
Crucially, Mrs O'Rourke is the only member of the 1989 cabinet that backs up Mr Gilmartin's claim that he met Fianna Fáil ministers.
The other ministers alleged to have been present either don't recollect the meeting, or say it never took place.
Mr Gilmartin claims he was subjected to a £5 million extortion demand after leaving the meeting.
Former Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Liam Lawlor, who is representing himself at the tribunal, asked Mrs O'Rourke if she remembered seeing him or "any man wandering around with a $5 million dollar request on his forehead" at the meeting.
She replied that she did not.
