DRUMCONDRA HOUSE:CELIA LARKIN, ex-partner of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, has said she did not know the price of the house Mr Ahern moved into in 1995, though she viewed and selected it.
The tribunal was told the house, 44 Beresford Avenue in Drumcondra, was bought in 1995 by Manchester businessman Micheál Wall, who intended to use it as a base while he built up a coach-hire business in Dublin. Mr Ahern agreed to rent the property from Mr Wall with an option to buy. Mr Wall had the option to stay in the house whenever he was in Dublin.
Ms Larkin said she was asked to search for a suitable house and was given no instruction about size or price, but was told it had to be in Drumcondra.
She told the tribunal she had previously put a £2,000 deposit of her own money on a new build in Castleknock, which Mr Ahern had intended buying. However, he changed his mind and the deposit was returned.
Ms Larkin could not specifically recall viewing the house with either Mr Wall or Mr Ahern. She did remember discussing the purchase with the late Gerry Brennan, solicitor to Mr Ahern and Mr Wall.
Counsel for the tribunal, Henry Murphy, asked whether she was aware that Mr Wall tendered for the house in November 1994 for £138,000. "I wasn't aware of the price," Ms Larkin said. "At all times, as far as you are concerned, Mr Wall bought this house with his money and not on behalf of anybody else?" Mr Murphy asked.
"Yes," Ms Larkin responded.
"Did it ever occur to you that he bought it on behalf of Mr Ahern or with Mr Ahern's money?"
"Never."
Asked if she recalled Mr Wall staying in the house, she said she specifically remembered one occasion when he stayed with his son.
The tribunal heard that Mr Wall brought the sterling equivalent of IR£28,772.90 in a briefcase to St Luke's in December 1994. Ms Larkin said Mr Ahern asked her to take the money to AIB in a briefcase.
She opened a new account and she understood the money was to be used for Beresford.
On the same day, she opened a second account and £50,000 was electronically transferred into it from Mr Ahern's account.
Mr Murphy said that £78,000 was an "extravagant sum" to refurbish a house worth £138,000.
Ms Larkin withdrew the £50,000 again in January 1995, because "it was not accessible" and because "Bertie asked for it". He did not, however, tell her why he wanted the cash back.
Mr Wall's money was spent on stamp duty, a conservatory and soft furnishings. The balance was put into another account with some of Mr Ahern's money.
