The Taoiseach has initiated an internal investigation into new revelations about the procurement of planning permission from Dublin County Council. Mr Ahern has ordered officials in his Department to get a full copy of the letter understood to have been written by Mr Michael Bailey, of Bovale Construction, to Joseph Murphy Structural Engineers (JMSE), which has reopened the controversy surrounding the payment of £30,000 to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, during the 1989 election.
Following official contacts between Mr Ahern and the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, who is in London, Government sources indicated last night that they hoped to be able to procure and publish the letter within 24 hours.
A Government spokesman said last night that Mr Ahern and Ms Harney want to see the full letter and believed it would be in the public interest to have it published. A report on the letter appeared in Magill magazine yesterday.
The Taoiseach has also asked the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, to inquire from Dublin County Council "as to the planning history of the lands that are the subject of the letter". He intends to publish the facts in relation to the planning permissions.
"At that stage, if there are questions to answer, he will decide on what course of action to be taken," the spokesman added. It is understood, however, that the question of referring the controversy to the new Moriarty tribunal has been ruled out.
Mr Ahern intended to speak overnight to Mr Burke, who was addressing the UN in New York yesterday. Speaking to reporters, the Minister denied any link with an attempt to influence planning decisions.
He said the Magill article revealing details of a letter from a builder claiming to be able to procure planning permission "has nothing to do with me".
"As far as this correspondence is concerned, I wasn't a member of the county council in 1989 and could not have had, and did not have any role in the planning process at that stage.
"It seems to me that I've been subjected to smear and smear and ongoing smear. I wasn't involved, I haven't been involved and I wasn't a member of the council since 1987 so I had no role."
Asked about concern expressed by Ms Harney, the Minister said: "She's concerned, as we all are, that this thing keeps being rehashed. The reality is that if the pieces of land identified in the Magill article are re-examined and the decisions taken on them, you'll see they were cross-party decisions, apparently right across all parties, all individuals, some of them members of the Oireachtas."
Government sources believe that only a selective part of a longer letter was published in Magill mazagine. The Government also has been led to believe that the letter is a lengthy and technical legal document drawn up by Mr Bailey's legal representative and signed by Mr Bailey.
Magill stated that Mr Bailey offered JMSE to effect the "procurement" of planning permission and a majority vote of two full meetings of Dublin County Council in exchange for a 50 per cent shareholding in the land. The letter was written a few days before Mr Gogarty, accompanied by Mr Bailey, paid an unsolicited cash donation of £30,000 in two envelopes to Mr Burke in his home during the 1989 election campaign.
The new revelations have caused deep worry in Government circles and completely over-shadowed the launch of the Government's presidential candidate, Prof Mary McAleese, yesterday.
As concern mounted within the Progressive Democrats, Ms Harney called for an examination of "options of investigating that particular planning matter". She indicated that the contents of the letter, on the face of it, was "corruption".