Analysis:Contributors supported Bertie Ahern the man rather than Fianna Fáil, writes Colm Keena.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the tribunal in private session that most of the donors to the two dig-outs that he says occurred in 1993 and 1994 were "close political friends" as well as close "personal friends".
A noticeable fact about the list of donors, however, is the fact that none of them is a politician, or people who were active on the political stage nationally. Most are business figures, people who in so far as they have political connections, have them as supporters of Bertie Ahern the man, rather than Fianna Fáil.
Ahern's long-time associate, Des Richardson, who has said he was involved in organising the first of the two collections or dig-outs the tribunal is investigating, has never been a member of the party, even though he was for a number of years its chief fundraiser, having been appointed to the position by Ahern.
Another of the contributors mentioned by Ahern is Padraic O'Connor, formerly of NCB. He has not only told the tribunal he was not a party-political supporter of Ahern, but also that he did not consider himself to be a friend of Ahern.
He said he had a friendly business relationship with Ahern in the early 1990s. He did not intend a £5,000 NCB cheque he authorised to go to Ahern, but rather to his constituency operation.
Yesterday, publican Charlie Chawke, who is not a member of any political party, gave evidence about the £2,500 in cash he has said he gave to Ahern's December 1993 "dig-out".
In the early 1990s he would meet Ahern at sporting and social occasions, and Ahern would call to his pub, The Goat Inn. He did not go to sporting events with Ahern, but would sometimes meet him at such events. He had never been to St Luke's, he said.
James Nugent, a former director of the Central Bank, told of how he first met Ahern in 1970 when he, Nugent, was a employee of the Workers Union of Ireland, and Ahern was a shop steward.
Although Nugent was involved with Fianna Fáil in Ahern's constituency in Dublin Central, he was not involved in supporting Ahern's political career, he said.
David McKenna, who pursued a successful career in the employment agency sector in the 1980s and 1990s, said he was a member of Ógra Fianna Fáil in his youth, and said he became friendly with Ahern upon his, McKenna's, return to Ireland in the years after 1988.
In 1993, when he was 32 years old, he considered himself to be a good friend of Ahern and a good friend of Richardson. He gave £2,500 in cash towards the dig-out.
Neither Nugent, Chawke nor McKenna have any paper records to show their £2,500 cash contributions. All said they sourced the money from personal cash savings or cash they had on their persons. Neither Nugent nor Chawke knew at the time that Ahern had £50,000 in savings.
Tribunal counsel Des O'Neill SC, said that none of the contributors of cash to the two dig-outs Ahern has said occurred have been able to produce any records associated with the payments.
There were 10 cash contributors in all.
After the tribunal contacted Ahern about these payments more than two years ago, Richardson began assisting him in looking into them.
Richardson contacted O'Connor, in 2005 and 2006, to discuss whether he had any documentation linked to the NCB payment. He did not contact Chawke, Nugent or McKenna to discuss their cash contributions.