Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins has denied he was the senior Fine Gael figure who contacted Sunday newspapers to say a garda had told him that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had taken money to Manchester in a briefcase.
Mr Higgins said he had been given information and he had done his public duty, like he did in the case of Garda corruption in Donegal, and had brought it to the attention of the Mahon tribunal.
Mr Ahern has denied claims published in two Sunday newspapers that he took cash to Manchester in 1994 in a briefcase. The reports said that Garda Martin Fallon, a former driver of Mr Ahern, told Mr Higgins and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny of witnessing such an event in 2000.
Mr Higgins subsequently reported what he had been told to the Mahon (formerly Flood) tribunal.
In an interview on the Last Word programme on Today FM yesterday, Mr Higgins said he gave the Mahon tribunal all the details as relayed to him by the garda, but denied he was the mole for two Sunday newspaper stories.
He said he got a call from another Sunday newspaper just over two weeks ago saying that somebody in Fine Gael, a senior person, had informed another newspaper that the information he had in relation to this was with the Mahon tribunal. "I am not the individual in question."
When asked what his view was of the leaking by a colleague of information to embarrass and discredit Bertie Ahern, Mr Higgins said: "I don't know the individual in question, and I'm not going to pass judgment in relation to it."
Mr Higgins said Tom Gilmartin will have many things of considerable interest to the public and tribunal to say when the Quarryvale module starts on May 1st. "It all depends on when the election is, but there probably is time for the Mahon tribunal to open the book on the whole saga . . ."
Mr Higgins confirmed to The Irish Times this week that in 2000 he allowed a Sunday Independent journalist to listen in as he discussed the matter on a conference call with Garda Fallon. He said he did not feel he was obliged to inform Mr Fallon of what was happening.