The Taoiseach yesterday declined to say whether he thought Mr Paddy Teahon should resign from (CSID) because of his role in the national aquatic centre controversy.
While it appeared that all of the correct processes had not been followed, there was "no evidence of any wrongdoing", he told reporters in Waterford.
Mr Ahern said there were a number of people, including Mr Teahon, who had "an entitlement to due process" and to be given time to respond to the report on the matter by the Attorney General, Mr Michael McDowell SC.
Mr Ahern denied the issue had embarrassed the Government. "It's neither an embarrassment nor a political problem. It is my obligation as head of government to make sure that projects are carried out properly, that the processes are followed and at the same time that we normally try and get a bit of speed into them."
"In this case, it seems to me, from the parts of the report that I've had a chance to read, because it's an enormous report, that what happened was there was a lot of speed put into it and perhaps all the processes weren't followed. But I think there's no evidence of any wrongdoing that any of us have seen."
He would be far more embarrassed, he said, if the project had fallen behind schedule in advance of next year's Special Olympics.