Gavin's Blog

Just in case you missed it. Ahern speaking on September 26, 2003.

Ah what a tangled web we weave:

TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern’s friend and personal solicitor, the late Gerard Brennan, acted for Celia Larkin when she purchased a house in Dublin using funds from Fianna Fáil, according to documents in the Registry of Deeds, writes Colm Keena , Public Affairs Correspondent

Mr Ahern has told the Mahon tribunal that £30,000 given to Ms Larkin in 1993 came from funds controlled by a party trust of which Mr Brennan was a member, and that the money was given as a loan.

But did the trust control the account?

Mr Ahern has told the tribunal that he did not know of the decision to give Ms Larkin the money until after the purchase of the house. He said the decision to give the money as a loan to Ms Larkin, to assist her help her elderly relatives, was agreed by all the trustees. The trustees were Mr Brennan, Joe Burke, Tim Collins, the late Jimmy Keane and the late Paddy Reilly. The sole signatory on the B/T account was Mr Collins.

Is it possible that money donated to FF ended up buying a house for Celia Larkin? I shudder to think.

Fianna Fail’s Noel O’Flynn and Billy Kelleher talking about their criticisms of John Ellis and Pee Flynn. Interesting how O’Flynn wonders about Flynn taking money for himself that was meant for the party.. sounds familiar.

The clip is from Primetime, March 2, 2000.

Primetime, October 1999