Taoiseach has questions to answer in relation to his finances
Issued: 01 May 2007
Statement by Trevor Sargent
Green Party Leader Trevor Sargent TD has said that the electorate needs to be informed of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s financial dealings before going to the polls. He said that the adjournment of the Mahon Tribunal does not mean that the Taoiseach is off the hook. “He has many questions to answer in relation to his finances,” he said.
Speaking at this morning’s launch of the Green Party’s economic policy, Fairness and Prosperity, a Green approach to the economy, Deputy Sargent said: “We respect the decision of the Mahon Tribunal to adjourn until after the election, but the public good would be better served if Mr. Ahern made a public statement on his financial affairs.”
“The peculiar nature of Bertie Ahern’s financial arrangements demands an effort to clarify matters before the public cast their votes. That’s the way a democracy should work.
“It seems that the same gentleman who paid £30,000 into Celia Larkin’s bank account, was present at an infamous Manchester dinner when Mr. Ahern received loans that he didn’t have to repay. But, of course, he wasn’t really at the dinner because he didn’t eat one! It’s a Planet Bertie thing!
“The Taoiseach also described the £30,000 payment as ‘a stamp duty thing’. Perhaps on Planet Bertie, landlords give their tenants £30,000 to pay stamp duty, but in the real world this is difficult to believe,” he concluded.