Mr Ray Burke was not in the least compromised in carrying out his public duties when he received £35,000 from Mr Oliver Barry, the Flood tribunal was told yesterday.
Mr Barry was answering Mr Patrick Hanratty SC, for the tribunal, who was asking him about the £35,000 cash payment he made to Mr Burke in May 1989.
Mr Hanratty asked if, in Mr Barry's view, Mr Burke was in any was compromised by the payment in the carrying out of his public duties as Minister for Communications. Mr Barry replied: "Not in the least."
Mr Hanratty asked: "Did you not consider that if you went to him to ask for favours he'd be compromised because of the payment?" Mr Barry said: "I didn't ask him for favours."
Mr Hanratty said Mr Burke's lawyer, Mr Aidan Walsh SC, had asked him whether the payment had been a no strings attached, bona-fide political donation.
Mr Hanratty asked if there was any understanding between him (Mr Barry) and Mr Burke as a result of giving him the £35,000.
Mr Barry replied: "The only string attached was that the money was going to help Fianna Fail win a second seat in North Co Dublin."
Earlier, Mr Denis Kennedy, senior manager for AIB in Co Kerry, was asked by Ms Patricia Dillon SC, for the tribunal, about transferring cash from an account in the AIB branch in Patrick Street, Cork, opened in the name of Ms Maeve McManus, financial assistant to Mr Barry.
Mr Kennedy said he was manager of the branch in July 1990. The account was opened for the purpose of the Prince concert in Pairc Ui Caoimh on July 6th, 1990 and a number of cheque books were supplied.
On Friday, July 5th, and that weekend, a certain amount of cash was isolated and placed in "joint custody" which meant that it was placed in a separate safe with two keyholders.
Mr Kennedy said they collected the cash and it was delivered to the concert. This was in accordance with banking procedures.
He said that similar facilities had been provided before. He and the management had provided facilities on jazz weekends and to customers at the Eurovision.
It was an ongoing type of activity and these events had a major community input.