The following is the text of the statement, issued last night:
A meeting of the trustees of the Fine Gael party took place this Thursday evening, March 8th, 2001. The trustees reviewed the issues arising from the donation made by Telenor/Esat to the party, and in particular the knowledge that the trustees had about the matter.
A review of the minutes of the trustee meetings established that at a meeting of the trustees on March 4th, 1998, they were informed of a donation to the party which the leader of the party and the chairman of the trustees felt should be returned to the donor, and had been returned on March 2nd, 1998.
The trustees decided that the decision of the then party leader to return the cheque should be ratified and that legal advice should be sought to establish if the receipt of the donation should be referred to the Moriarty tribunal.
The name of the donor was not disclosed at the meeting, but the fact that the donor was concerned that it might be drawn into the Moriarty tribunal was stated to the meeting.
The trustees are satisfied that no further discussion took place regarding the Telenor/Esat donation and the minutes of subsequent trustee meetings confirm this.
At no trustee meeting held subsequent to the attempt by Fine Gael to return the donation by cheque were the trustees informed that the cheque issued by Fine Gael had in turn been returned to the party. However, the chairman of the trustees acknowledges that he knew of the return of the cheque to Fine Gael.
Mr Buddy Kiernan, the chairman of the trustees, has retired both as chairman and as a trustee.
Trustees of Fine Gael party as at March 8th, 2001
Enda Marren, Sean Barrett TD, Paul Coulson, Gerry Carey, Michael Granagan, Pat Ridge, Liam Ahearn, Mark FitzGerald, Michael Noonan TD
Trustees of Fine Gael party as at March 4th, 1998
Buddy Kiernan, Peter Barry, Enda Marren, Sean Barrett TD, Mark FitzGerald, John Bruton TD