The Taoiseach appeared last night to reject Fine Gael suggestions that he gave his approval to the candidacy of Mr Jim Mitchell for the position of vice-president of the European Investment Bank.
Fine Gael yesterday called on Mr Ahern to answer questions on the affair, and particularly how he let it be known last weekend that he was in favour of the approach to Mr Mitchell while at the same time backing Mr Michael Tutty for the job.
Mr Mitchell has claimed the intermediary between himself and the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, told him last Sunday the Taoiseach approved of his candidacy. Mr Mitchell said he was given the impression he was the clear front-runner for the job if he let his name go forward.
However, when this position was outlined to Mr Ahern in New York yesterday, he said it was "definitely not correct". He declined to elaborate, saying: "What I said yesterday is the factual position."
The Fine Gael chief Whip, Mr Charles Flanagan, accused Mr Ahern of evading the hard questions that remained: "It is now clear that by last Saturday at the very latest the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, had been briefed by the Tanaiste, Mary Harney, on the approach she had made to Mr Mitchell and that Mr McCreevy approved of that approach.
"It is also clear that Mr McCreevy in turn brought Mr Mitchell's proposed candidacy to the attention of the Taoiseach last Saturday evening and that Ms Harney's intermediary relayed a favourable response from the Taoiseach last Sunday," said Mr Flanagan.
Meanwhile, the EIB confirmed yesterday it received a fax from Mr McCreevy's office stating the Cabinet had agreed that the name of Mr Tutty go forward for the position of vice-president.
It is understood the Department of Finance consulted with Greece and Denmark yesterday on the matter, as Ireland rotates the position with these countries. Mr McCreevy will discuss the nomination with the other EU finance ministers at an informal Ecofin meeting in Versailles, France, today.