Analysis: Available documents do not support what the tribunal has been told about a £5,000 draft, writes Colm Keena
More oral evidence was heard at the tribunal yesterday about a request for money made to Padraic O'Connor of NCB in December 1993, and its connection, if any, with a draft for £5,000 that ended up in the personal bank account of Bertie Ahern.
The draft formed part of what Ahern has said was a "dig-out" totalling £22,500. It was dated December 22nd, 1993, and was made out to, and endorsed by, Des Richardson. Richardson was the person who'd sought money from O'Connor and he has said he bought the draft on the back of the promise of funds from O'Connor.
Yesterday Chris McHugh, formerly of NCB, provided supporting evidence that the firm issued a cheque facilitated by a bogus invoice, following a request from Richardson to O'Connor for a £5,000 donation towards Ahern's constituency operation.
O'Connor has said Richardson asked for a political donation, whereas Richardson maintains that he sought a donation towards Ahern's personal finances.
Hovering over the whole issue, though, is a point made at the outset by Henry Murphy SC, for the tribunal. The documentary evidence does not establish what the oral evidence is suggesting, he said, meaning that the documents available do not show a link between the draft and the NCB money.
Richardson bought the draft in the Bank of Ireland's branch in Montrose, Dublin, and the records of that branch show he did so using money from the account of a company called Roevin Ireland Ltd.
Richardson told the tribunal he had forgotten about this until it was pointed out to him by the tribunal this week. He has been seeking documentation about the draft since 2005, on Ahern's behalf, but never thought of looking at the Roevin account.
He had at the time a number of accounts in the Montrose branch. He said a "workforce company" he had an involvement with was purchased by a UK company called Roevin which in turn was purchased by a Manchester-based plc, Doctus, in or about 1989/1990.
Doctus subsequently collapsed, and Roevin Ireland Ltd, a Doctus subsidiary, owed him money. He said he was entitled to the money in the Roevin account in Montrose, as part of ongoing, cordial discussions concerning this matter. He was the sole Irish director of Roevin, which had two other directors based in Manchester.
There were no withdrawals from the Roevin account in the year prior to the purchase of the draft, at which time the balance was in excess of £39,000. Asked why he had used the Roevin account, Richardson said it was because it had money in it.
NCB issued a cheque for £6,050 (£5,000 plus VAT) on December 15th, 1993, on the back of a false invoice from Euro Workforce, a company owned some time earlier by Richardson. The cheque was not cashed until March 1994, a new cheque having to be issued because the earlier one was damaged.
There is no evidence as yet that shows that the cheque made out to Euro Workforce led to Richardson/Roevin being reimbursed for the draft. Also, Richardson does not accept that he must have organised the Euro Workforce invoice for O'Connor.
There is nothing on the draft that was lodged to Ahern's account that connects it to Padraic O'Connor or NCB. It was when the tribunal asked what lay behind the draft that Ahern told it, in mid-2006, that the draft was a contribution from O'Connor towards a dig-out from a group of "personal friends". Inquiries into Ahern's December 1993 deposit have been ongoing for nearly three years now, and the tribunal has yet to establish who funded the £5,000 draft.
And if NCB didn't, then the question arises as to who did, and where did the NCB money go?