A CLOSE associate of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is to appear before the Mahon tribunal next week to give evidence about matters concerning his constituency finances.
Tim Collins was to have given evidence last week but the hearing was delayed in order to give the inquiry time to study documentation requested from Mr Ahern's Dublin Central organisation.
Mr Collins, who is to give evidence on Thursday of next week, was the sole signatory on an account with the name B/T and from which £30,000 was withdrawn in 1993 and given to Mr Ahern's then partner, Celia Larkin, to assist her in buying a house.
The tribunal has been told the account held money for the building trust associated with Mr Ahern's O'Donovan Rossa cumann, and was for use on his St Luke's constituency centre. Mr Collins is one of the trustees of St Luke's.
Another trustee was the late Gerry Brennan, a solicitor who acted for Mr Ahern in his separation proceedings, and who was a close associate and friend of Mr Ahern for many years. Mr Brennan acted for Ms Larkin in the purchase of the house.
The tribunal has been told that the money given to Ms Larkin was a loan and that it was repaid with interest earlier this year after the tribunal began inquiring into the B/T account. The tribunal has heard there were no transactions on the account since 1995, and that it has a balance of €47,803. The money repaid by Ms Larkin has not been lodged to the B/T account.
