Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Public Accounts Committee, National Childrens Hospital, Political Corruption

Political Corruption Ireland

The National Children’s Hospital

A Report to The Public Accounts Committee 2/8/2022

From

Vincent McKenna BSSc PGDipSSc MSc

Motivation for this Report

On the day that David Trimble died, 25 July, 2022, Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD appeared on RTE and stated that he had spoken to Bertie Ahern about David Trimble’s death.

I found this casual reference by Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD to his on-going relationship with Bertie Ahern, as distasteful, due to the findings of The Mahon Tribunal and the fact that Bertie Ahern misled Dail Eireann in 2002 about his prior knowledge of the Real IRA Omagh Bombers in 1998.

Bertie Ahern with his best Pal, Fionn MacCumhaill, Iona Road, Dublin, who stands charged in 2024 with 20 counts of sexual assault.

This causal reference by Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD in relation to Bertie Ahern, caused me to pause and ask the question:

“Did, Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD, when Minister for Health in 2004, know about a Special Garda Operation, investigating Bertie Ahern and others for accepting Corrupt Payments in relation to the siting of The National Children’s Hospital at The Mater Hospital site?”.

Background

In 2005 I was released from prison having served a sentence for alleged sexual assault, that case DPP v Vincent McKenna is back before The Court of Criminal Appeal in 2022, based on new findings of fact, and as allowed under the 1993 Criminal Justice Act.

While I was in prison, I continued to work with An Garda Siochana (see, attached report into Review of Murder of Sophie Tuscan Du Plantier) on major crimes, including murder.

Upon my release from prison, I was immediately contacted by senior Gardai and asked to participate in a Special Operation, investigating Corrupt Payments being made to certain politicians including Bertie Ahern.

I was more than happy to get involved in this Special Operation as Bertie Ahern’s double-dealing was well known to me. In 1999, I had played a key role in preventing the murder of The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Mandelson and his staff. I had been invited over to London in June 1999, to up date politicians on the on-going situation in Northern Ireland as I had many good contacts in many groups. I was personally thanked by Mrs Thatcher for my role in the Mandelson operation.

However, as some of my work was very high profile in 1999, MI6 believed that I could be used as an Influencer, for their view of peace, and they tried to recruit me in London in June 1999. This was not the first approach; they had also tried to recruit me in Cambridge in 1995. As part of the MI6 recruitment process, they told me how they would funnel money to me through a Manchester based businessman as they had done for Bertie Ahern TD. If anyone became aware of the money, the businessman would simply say that he was contributing to my peace work.

I refused to work for MI6, not simply because they had insulted me by offering me money, but also because certain MI6 Officers had a very dangerous relationship with certain terrorists and a very dangerous view of what a ‘peace process’ should look like.

For example, the continued murder of Catholics post-GFA by Sinn Fein/PIRA was being viewed as "Internal House-keeping" and not a breach of the Sinn Fein/PIRA agreed cease-fire with MI6. This "Internal House-keeping" included the shooting of children raped by Sinn Fein/PIRA members to silence those victims.

Gardai were concerned that such Corrupt Payments to Bertie Ahern and others could result in a compromise of national security in Ahern’s dealings with various terrorist groups. This concern was real and only in 2021 (Michael McDowell) would we learn that Bertie Ahern and John O’Donoghue TD had directed the Garda Commissioner not to pursue Sinn Fein/PIRA members who were wanted for murder and other serious crimes.

Bertie Ahern and other politicians were accepting Corrupt Payments from Property Developers, in return for a Guarantee that The National Children’s Hospital would be built on the site of The Mater Hospital in Bertie Ahern’s constituency. I volunteered my services to investigate.

In 2005, Dublin City was awash with cash, people like Tom McFeely, a former Sinn Fein/PIRA Hunger-striker, had his pockets bulging with cash as he built such infamous developments as Priory Hall, which would later be deemed unsafe. After McFeely left his £15,000,000 Mansion on Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin, over £200,000 cash was found hidden under the bath.

Tom McFeely former PIRA Hunger-Striker

However, this report, is about one of Bertie Ahern’s, Bagmen, Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Castel Hotel Group, Gardiner Row, Dublin 1, D01 R640) and his associates.

Due to the volume of money being spent on The Mater Hospital site by Bertie Ahern’s Government, which would total £40,000,000 including, €24.5 million for the business services team, €3.2 million for project management and €6.1 million for the integrated design team.

Another €6.1 million in administration and other costs were incurred. This sum included €1.6 million in planning expenses, €878,000 in legal expenses, €200,000 spent on communications and €132,000 in board fees.

This £40,000,000 ‘Convincer’, as well as placing Property Developers on The Board of The Mater Hospital (including Fionn Mac Cumhaill), ensured that the Property Developers paid large cash sums to corrupt politicians.

Bertie Ahern was no stranger to The Mater Hospital; he had some years earlier worked in the accounts Department of the Mater Hospital. The Board of The Mater Hospital would act as a lobby group for both Bertie Ahern and his developers to ensure the NCH was built on The Mater site.

Once the Property Developers were satisfied that Bertie Ahern could deliver on his promise of The National Children’s Hospital being built on The Mater Hospital site, the Property Developers bought up all land and property in the vicinity of The Mater Hospital.

This property and land grab by the Property Developers would ensure that the thousands of construction site workers, who would later be replaced by thousands of healthcare workers, would have accommodation, food and drink venues on their door-step, and provide a return of millions of Euros for the Property Developers.

Establishing the facts

I secured work with a key Property Developer, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, who was also one of Bertie Ahern’s key bagmen. I was hired as a Project Manager and a Health and Safety Officer for Castle Contracts. My employer, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, the owner of Castle Contracts, brought me to O’Neill’s pub on the corner of Dorset Street and Eccles Street.

O’Neills had been a favourite drinking place for members of Sinn Fein/Provisional IRA before it had been closed some years earlier. My Boss and other partners had bought O’Neill’s as part of their property portfolio related to the promised siting of The National Children’s Hospital on The Mater Hospital site, a few yards away.

I specifically asked my Boss, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, why he had bought O’Neills and it was at this point that he boosted about having inside information, as he was actually a close friend of Bertie Ahern and he (my Boss) had been appointed as a Director of the Board of The Mater Hospital to act as an influencer, which included providing bribes and incentives to some members of The Mater Hospital Board.

I began a complete refurbishment of O’Neill’s pub; I was working on my own for a good while because in 2005 labour was scarce due to the economic boom. My Boss built up a good relationship with me, as I worked hard and kept within a tight budget. Eventually I got some Polish lads to work with me and the project moved quickly.

As O’Neill’s had previously been a Sinn Fein/PIRA drinking establishment, we were not surprised when thousands of duty-free cigarettes would fall out of carefully constructed hides as we demolished walls and ceilings.

My Boss was a partner with others in the ownership of several properties and businesses, however, he was also a Property Developer, this meant that he was actually charging his partners for the supply of labour and materials. By the end of each project, his partners were heavily indebted and would be at his mercy, as he could call in outstanding debt.

The Corruption

On one occasion I was standing in the front room of one of my Boss’s Hotels, The Castle Hotel, he was shoving a large amount of cash into a standard envelope, however, he could not get enough cash in and so he asked the receptionist to bring him a big A4 envelope, into which he stuffed the cash. This was the first time I seen 500 Euro notes.

My Boss then asked me to drive him to his house in Drumcondra, the journey took us past Saint Luke’s, which was the name of the Fianna Fail Office in Drumcondra. My Boss told me to pull in to the left-hand side of the road across from Saint Luke’s, he got out of the car and walked over to Saint Luke’s, where he handed the envelope full of cash to Bertie Ahern.

On another occasion my Boss asked me to drive him from one of his hotels, The Castle Hotel, on the north side of Dublin to another one of his hotels, Staunton’s on the Green, on Stephen’s Green. On the way back from Stephens Green my Boss had the radio in my car turned on, and when the news came on, he turned the radio up.

The news reported that Mary Harney TD was considering moving the site for The National Children’s Hospital to a green field site. Upon hearing Mary Harney’s intentions, my Boss took his mobile phone from his pocket and initially tried to phone Bertie Ahern, when he could not reach Bertie Ahern, he phoned and got through to Martin Cullen, who was a Minister.

My Boss was very clear with Martin Cullen that there would be repercussions, if The National Children’s Hospital was moved from the promised Mater Hospital site, after the massive investment my Boss and his partners had made.

Before the phone call between my Boss and Martin Cullen had finished Martin Cullen assured my Boss that Harney would not get her way. My Boss then reminded Minister Cullen that he must enjoy a holiday at my Boss’s Hotel and golf resort in Scotland. I have no evidence against Martin Cullen for corruption, I am simply stating that he was on speed-dial for my Boss.

The corruption also included some Directors of The Mater Hospital Board enjoying free Holidays at my Boss’s hotels and having free maintenance carried out at their own private homes by myself and other employees of Castle Contracts.

When the Special Operation had established that Bertie Ahern was accepting Corrupt Payments in relation to the Mater Hospital site, I was then moved to Stephen’s Green in 2006 and continued to work within another Special Operation that was focused on The Department of Foreign Affairs. My job has always been to establish facts, how Gardai deal with those facts is not my concern. Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs, had for example, lobbied The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell SC, for special provisions for Real IRA Leader, Michael McKevitt.

This picture is the garden at Staunton’s on The Green which I land-scaped, when it was left as a building site, after I had project managed a fourteen-bedroom extension to Staunton’s. The wall to the left of the picture divides the garden from The Department of Foreign Affairs, to which I had easy access.

In 2006, I was in the company of a senior Garda Officer and having tea in Staunton’s on the Green, Mr Jim Staunton had served the tea. I was meeting with the senior Garda, not specifically about the Special Operation, which was on-going, but the fact that I had noted two Real IRA members, scouting a position in the property next door to The Department of Foreign Affairs for a possible sniper attack.

When my role in the Special Operations surrounding Bertie Ahern and others had concluded in 2006, my Boss, Fionn MacCumhaill indicated to me that he knew I was speaking to An Garda Siochana and therefore he could no longer employ me.

I spoke with my Garda contacts and told them that I wanted to bring Fionn Mac Cumhaill before The Employment Appeals Tribunal and try to establish who had leaked my contact with An Garda Siochana.

I won my case for unfair dismissal and received a substantial sum in compensation, the leak most likely came from a Garda Officer, whom upon his retirement became a driver for Fionn Mac Cumhaill.

Conclusion

There is absolutely no question that the political corruption set out above led to many Millions of Euros being spent on a site that was never going to accommodate The National Children’s Hospital.

The estimated £40,000,000 spend has at this point been written off, however, the real cost of this political corruption has yet to be fully realised, why this corruption was never brought before the Public Accounts Committee or never made its way into the public domain is probably best understood now following The Mahon Tribunal, Bertie Ahern’s lies to Dail Eireann about the Omagh Bomb and Ahern’s De Facto Amnesty for Sinn Fein/Provisional IRA murderers.

The years of unnecessary delays have now driven up costs to astronomical levels. A project that was estimated to cost approximately £650,000,000 is now estimated to cost at least £3 Billion at completion.

Had the political corruption not delayed The National Children’s Hospital, it can be said that the hospital could have been built at a much-reduced cost to the Tax Payer and Children could have been prioritised over corruption and self-serving by the few.

Bertie Ahern and John O’Donoghue represented grievous excesses, greed and self-serving. The legacy of Bertie Ahern and O’Donogue is not as ‘peace-makers’ for Northern Ireland, for they simply used Northern Ireland as a distraction, a slight of hand for their corruption.

Their true legacy is vulnerable children denied basic fundamental human rights, while O’Donoghue used Tax Payers money to go to the races and enjoy Gondola rides in Venice.

The Mahon Tribunal

On 2 April, 2008, then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern resigned due to continuing controversy over allegations relating to corrupt payments.

In all, The Mahon Tribunal said that he did not truthfully account for payments of £165,000 made to accounts connected to him.

This included the Manchester dinner with Irish businessmen, where The Mahon Tribunal rejected the assertion that two-thirds of the £24,838 figure mentioned was in punts. The Mahon Tribunal said it was solely a Sterling payment of £25,000, and suggesting that Ahern had not been truthful in his evidence.

Note: The Taoiseach did describe receiving a sum of money from a number of rich businessmen after speaking at a Manchester hotel, and also winning money through gambling on horses.

The Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments, commonly known as the Mahon Tribunal after the name of its last chairman, was a public inquiry in Ireland established by Dáil Éireann in 1997 to investigate allegations of corrupt payments to politicians regarding political decisions.

It mostly investigated planning permissions and land rezoning issues in the 1990s in the Dublin County Council area. Judge Alan Mahon was the final chair of the tribunal and its other members were Judge Mary Faherty and Judge Gerald Keys. The original Chairman, who was the sole member until just before his retirement, was Judge Feargus Flood, giving rise to the original common name of the Flood Tribunal.

The Mahon Tribunal used investigations to collect evidence and public hearings with witnesses, it investigated allegations made in the media prior to its establishment and allegations subsequently made to the tribunal itself. The tribunal ran from November 1997 to March 2012 and was the longest running and most expensive public inquiry held in the Republic of Ireland, with costs forecast to reach between €250 million and €300 million.

Public hearings concluded in September 2008, and following several delays due to legal challenges, the tribunal began preparing its final report. It published four interim reports, and the final report was published on 22 March, 2012.

Berty Ahern Only Wanted to Talk about Good Friday Agreement

Over six-years after it delivered its report on Bertie Ahern, the Mahon Tribunal is being talked about again since the former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, walked out of a German TV interview after being questioned over it.

Appearing uncomfortable at the line of questioning following earlier discussions about the Good Friday Agreement, Ahern said he was quite happy that he has cleared his name and that he was very happy with his evidence to the Tribunal.

When pressed, he maintained: “I’ve dealt with that issue and I am not saying any more about that issue.”

Shortly afterwards, he cut the interview short, saying he was there to talk about the Good Friday Agreement and had done so.

See, Video

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