The Taoiseach has accepted that he must have had a phone conversation with the property developer Mr Tom Gilmartin in which he [Mr Gilmartin\] claimed he donated £50,000 to Fianna Fáil.
It would not have registered that Mr Gilmartin said he gave a donation to the party through Mr Padraig Flynn, who was then party treasurer. "It would have registered as a big amount admittedly, although I do not know how many subscriptions we would have got at that time, but it would not have registered otherwise," Mr Ahern told the Dáil.
The House also heard a Labour party claim that because of the six years' statute of limitations, no remedy would be open to Fianna Fáil over the £50,000 if it waited until the Mahon tribunal issued its report. Mr Ahern said, however, that their legal advice was they could do nothing until the Mahon tribunal reported because they had no evidence or proof otherwise.
On the phone conversation with the developer, Mr Ahern said: "The amount would not have struck me as anything odd, quite frankly" because Mr Gilmartin was an "enormous property developer who was spending about £250 million on one project and a few hundred million pounds on another".
He said: "While I have no recollection whatever of having a phone discussion with Mr Gilmartin, I accept it must have taken place because I sent somebody to try to help him."
Mr Ahern said Mr Gilmartin stated that in his phone call "he mentioned to me that he had given Padraig Flynn money or a donation or whatever". He insisted that what he said in the Dáil on Tuesday and what he had said before "is that I have no reason to say the man is not telling the truth".
He said, however, he would not ask anyone for a donation, even when he was party treasurer. "I would not ring anybody or in a conversation ask somebody for money for myself or the party. I would, of course, have sent out letters on behalf of the party over the years."
During renewed questions yesterday about the controversial payment, the Taoiseach told Labour leader Mr Pat Rabbitte that the developer had said for many years he "did ring me and asked me for assistance and would I know somebody in Dublin Corporation who would assist him". Mr Ahern sent a councillor to him and that councillor had confirmed that, "so Mr Gilmartin obviously rang me".
Mr Rabbitte said that while the Taoiseach had told the Dáil the party would consider its options when the tribunal report was concluded, "surely your lawyers must have advised you that the statute of limitations applies six years from the date of knowledge".
If the date of knowledge was October 6th, 1998, the date the party's general secretary "dashed off a letter for the sake of appearances, which was never followed up, to know was this money for Fianna Fáil and where it was", then no remedy would be open to the party six years later.
But the Taoiseach said it had been the legal advice for a number of years from different senior counsel that the party had to wait for the tribunal report.
