The Flood tribunal was told today that former Fianna Fáil minister Mr Ray Burke held an account at the Bruton Street branch of AIB in London, under the name of Patrick D. Burke.
Mr David Paddock, manager of the Allied Irish Bank branch in Berkeley Square, London was giving evidence on foot of a request by the tribunal to investigate accounts in Mr Burke’s name.
The account was opened in November 1983 for a period of six days during which time a sum of £15,000 sterling passed through it, Mr Paddock said.
Around the same time, two companies owned by builders Brennan and McGowan, Kalabraki Ltd and Gasche Investments Ltd, also held accounts with the same branch of the bank, the tribunal heard.
Mr Brennan and Mr McGowan also held a separate joint account at the branch, Mr Paddock told the tribunal.
The tribunal is endeavouring to establish links between these accounts and Mr Burke.
The AIB London had originally rejected Mr Burke’s claim that he had an account with the branch. The bank had said its records did not indicate any accounts held in the name of "Raphael Burke" or "Patrick D. Burke".
However Mr Paddock confirmed today the bank had found records in April last which confirmed Mr Burke’s original assertion.
Mr Aidan Walsh SC, counsel for Mr Burke, claimed his client had been accused of lying when the bank seemed unable to confirm Mr Burke had an account with the branch. Now the bank is saying Mr Burke did in fact hold an account, he said.
Mr Walsh then tried to question Mr Paddock on how accurate the bank’s records were but in a heated exchange with Mr Justice Flood he was prevented from doing so on the grounds that the bank had not been given due notice of this line of questioning.
Earlier Mr Brennan was again questioned on where the £1.1 million proceeds from the sale of land in Donnybrook, Dublin in 1985 ended up.
The deal is one of a number the tribunal is investigating. It is known Mr Burke was paid £60,000 from one of the deals.
So far the tribunal has been able to trace the £1.1 million to a Royal Bank of Scotland account in the Isle of Man.
Mr Brennan confirmed today that he and four directors from Oakpark Developments -a Brennan and McGowan company - each received around £110,000 from the deal.
It was unclear where the remaining £550,000 ended up. The tribunal resumes on Tuesday.
