Mr Bertie Ahern was personally chosen by Mr Charles Haughey to be a co-signatory of cheques drawn on the controversial account of the Fianna Fail party leader, a source close to the Taoiseach has confirmed.
Mr Ahern was a co-signatory of the account from 1984 to 1992 and pre-signed most of the 1,615 cheques drawn on the account in that period, during which about £1.5 million passed through the account. He has told the Moriarty Tribunal he was appointed because he was a party whip at the time. However, he remained as a signatory of the account for eight years after he ceased to hold that position.
A source close to the Taoiseach said last night Mr Ahern was appointed co-signatory some time between 1982 and 1984, when he was party whip. His continuation in the role for a further eight years was due to a decision taken by the then party leader, Mr Haughey, at his discretion. Mr Ahern's role as party treasurer for a short period in the early 1990s had no bearing on his position as co-signatory.
Party sources pointed out yesterday that the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern, was appointed as a co-signatory when he was party whip between 1994 and 1997, and remains in that role though he is no longer party whip. Meanwhile, Ms Eileen Foy, who administered the party leader's account during Mr Haughey's time, yesterday told the tribunal that Mr Ahern pre-signed "all" cheques drawn on the account that were co-signed by him and Mr Haughey. In Mr Ahern's evidence last July he said Ms Foy regularly asked him to sign "a certain number" of cheques.
Mr Ahern's practice of signing them all as blank cheques to be countersigned by Mr Haughey was discontinued in 1992, when Mr Haughey was replaced as party leader by Mr Albert Reynolds. There were signs of unease among Fianna Fail backbenchers yesterday as information emerged at the Moriarty Tribunal that five of the 1,615 cheques drawn on the leader's account in the 1984 - 1992 period were used to pay bills to the Coq Hardi restaurant totalling more than £15,000. Two backbenchers who declined to be identified said they were deeply unhappy at the news that Mr Ahern had pre-signed such cheques.
The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, said yesterday that £15,000 seemed "an extraordinary amount of money" to be paid to one restaurant in one year. However, she said she did not want to comment on facts as they emerged.
"Clearly the Moriarty Tribunal are doing an excellent job in establishing what happened in the past. I have every confidence that they will establish the facts," she said.
Fianna Fail sources said yesterday that the parliamentary party had had an account at the Coq Hardi during this period, and that the presentation of bills for payment from the restaurant would therefore not have appeared unusual or suspicious.
In his appearance before the Moriarty Tribunal last July Mr Ahern was asked by counsel for the tribunal to confirm that he had earlier told the tribunal that: "It was normal that a party whip, as you had been, would be a signatory to such an account, that was your understanding?"
He replied: "That's correct, I replaced Sean Moore". Mr Moore had been Fianna Fail Chief Whip from 1979 until he lost his Dail seat in early 1982.
Patrick Smyth adds from Tampere, Finland:
The Taoiseach has refused to be drawn on the Coq Hardi revelations. Speaking to journalists on the fringes of the EU summit, he insisted that "anything about Moriarty is for Moriarty, and anything about my involvement, I have already stated to Moriarty. I have no more to say."