The former Fianna Fáil minister, Mr Ray Burke, today admitted, for the second time, to the Flood Tribunal that he may have inadvertently misled the Dáil in 1997 when being questioned in the house about political donations.
He said he was under intense pressure at the time and he had been incorrect in telling the house he had only received money during election years and that the largest amount he had received was £30,000.
He also showed the Dáil a letter from his bank manager stating that he had an overdraft of £35,000 in 1997 as a result of expenses incurred during the election.
This evidence had been covered by the tribunal in 1999 and today Mr Burke took the opportunity to apologise to the house for a second time.
The former minister was answering questions regarding a lodgement of £60,000 that was paid into a Hill Samuel account in Jersey, paid in by Mr Joe McGowan in November 1984 after the general election.
It was put to Mr Burke by Mr Pat Hanratty SC, for the tribunal, that it was unusual for a politician to receive money when there was no general election going on.
Mr Burke said: "Major fundraising goes on all the time and there is no better example of this than the current Taoiseach. The Taoiseach is considered the number one fundraiser in the country."