Mahon Tribunal Berty Ahern Liar Liar
The Mahon Tribunal will describe Bertie Ahern’s evidence to it as a tissue of lies, half-truths and out right perjury. The three judge inquiry will dedicate a complete volume of its findings to Mr Ahern’s evidence, former Taoiseach Mr Ahern had told the Mahon Tribunal that a number of corrupt payments he had received were ‘gifts’ from ‘friends’, however, his explanations beggar belief.
Corruption and poor judgement has been the hallmark of Bertie Ahern’s political legacy with former Fianna Fail Ministers such as John O Donoghue having been exposed for spending hundreds of thousands of tax payers’ money on a lavish expense trail for he and his wife, including 900 Euro per night hotel rooms, while children were being turned away from Temple Street children’s Hospital due to lack of funding.
Bertie Ahern presented a tissue of lies and half-truths to the Mahon Tribunal in order to conceal the reality of a number of corrupt payments that he had received, in fine Fianna Fail tradition Bertie Ahern followed his mentor Charlie Haughey in benefiting from his political position. Indeed as far back as ten-years ago Bertie Ahern gave the green light to Fianna Fail bagmen to begin investing in property in the decaying Dorset Street/Eccles Street area of north Dublin (Mr Ahern’s constituency) as that would be the site for a new state of the art children’s hospital. Fianna Fail bagmen even sat on the non-executive board of directors of Temple Street Children’s Hospital so that lobbying could be done from within, some consultants even having construction work carried out on their own private properties by Fianna Fail bagmen.
Now the new coalition Government has been left with no choice but to build the Children’s hospital on the Eccles Street/Dorset Street site as so much money has already been spent on that Fianna Fail project, known locally as the ‘Bertie Pan’ as Bertie never got to build his Bertie Bowl (sports stadium). This area has been built up over the past ten-years by Fianna Fail bagmen with Café bars, Hotels and student apartments in anticipation of the new hospital and its anticipated thousands of workers. These Fianna Fail bagmen had insider knowledge of the hospital plans from the start and when former Health Minister, Mary Harney began to look at another location for the hospital she was firmly put in her place by her Fianna Fail masters.
Berty Ahern told the Mahon Tribunal that a payment of eight-thousand-pounds sterling that he had received while on a junket to Manchester in the 1990s was an auld dig out from friends as he was having ‘girl trouble’. In 1993 Berty said he got another auld dig out worth 22,500 Euros and this dig out had been organised by his solicitor Mr Gerry Brennan (RIP). However, the dig outs would not stop there and in the Beaumont House Pub another whip around took place and Berty pocketed a substantial sum for his personal use. Some of the people named by Berty Ahern as personal friend who gave him and auld dig out have denied his version of events and have stated that the monies they paid were ‘political’ donations that were paid to Berty following approaches from Fianna Fail henchmen.
One of the men named to the Mahon Tribunal by Berty Ahern, Padraic O’Connor managing director of NCB stockbrokers in 1993, has stated unequivocally that he was never a friend of Berty Ahern and that monies paid to Berty Ahern were as a result of an unorthodox approach from Fianna Fail bagman Des Richardson at that time.
Berty Ahern continues to live the high life being paid for after dinner speeches and enjoying days at the races with his celebrity off-springs, however, Berty is about to be fully exposed as one of the most corrupt politicians of the 20/21st Century in Ireland and will see Berty hang in the Hall of Fame with his mentor Charlie Haughey.
