Sir, - In my term as a commission member of the IRTC, I have now received three letters and one phone call, all seeming to come from the Progressive Democrats party in Dublin South East, relating to party fundraising. The latest one arrived on May 29th, in an Oireachtas envelope and bearing the Tanaiste's signature. It was accompanied by two beautiful full colour "Super Members' Draw" leaflets and a freepost envelope.
The previous letters were on Dail notepaper, purporting to come from a TD named McDowell. Both those letters also came with full colour leaflets on the Progressive Democrats National Fundraising Members Club Draw and each requested a contribution of £100 per ticket.
When I privately queried Michael McDowell on the sending of the second letter, in April 1996, the Progressive Democrats were reported by the Sunday Independent to have released a press statement suggesting that I had mixed up my McDowells, Derek and Michael, and were "absolutely satisfied" that "no letter had been sent by any Progressive Democrat source" to me. The Irish Times wrote at the time: "The Progressive Democrats' spokesman on finance had never written to Mr Meade". You called it a mystery at the time.
Having tried to solve this mystery for over two years, I now have a number of questions that I hope Mary Harney, your newspaper and your business readers will help me answer.
(1) Did the PDs run national fundraising draws in the years 1994 to '98? (2) Were fundraising letters printed for them by a database-provider company? (3) Did a database-provider supply the names, addresses and telephone numbers of company chief executives? (4) Did the Tanaiste and Deputy McDowell avail of such a service? (5) Was such a fundraising letter, or letters, ever sent to me as chief executive of my own company? (6) Was a press statement ever actually released by the party on this matter and, if so, may I see a copy? (7) Have I been the victim of a persistent phantom forger? - Yours, etc., Aiden J. Meade,
Managing Director, Aiden Meade Ltd, Audio Visual Productions, Rathgar, Dublin 6.