CONSTITUENCY OFFICE:FORMER FIANNA Fáil fundraiser Des Richardson has denied that he personally bought St Luke's, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern's constituency office.
Mr Richardson told the tribunal he attended a meeting at the Gresham Hotel on December 3rd, 1987, with a group of Fianna Fáil supporters who then contributed to the purchase of St Luke's in Drumcondra, but he did not recall the names of the individuals.
He said the plan was that 25 people would give £5,000 each over five years in £1,000 instalments and they would take out a loan in the meantime.
"It was put to the floor . . . half a dozen people would put £10,000 in each immediately to allow for the purchase of the house and then as the money came in they would be given back £5,000 or £6,000 each - and that's what happened," he said.
Mr Richardson said he might have made a financial contribution toward St Luke's, but he didn't recollect doing so.
Des O'Neill SC, for the tribunal, said solicitors for St Luke's trustees faxed documentation to the tribunal yesterday morning, including a contract between the previous owner of St Luke's, Catherine Daly, and the purchasers, dated November 19th, 1987.
He said the only name typed as purchaser was Mr Richardson. The names of fellow St Luke's trustees, Joe Burke and Tim Collins, were added later in pen, he said.
"That could have been half an hour later, it could have been a minute later," Mr Richardson said. "I don't own St Luke's, as you probably know."
Mr O'Neill said the St Luke's Trust, which has been put forward as the owner of St Luke's, was not established until December.
"When this document was prepared, you weren't a trustee," he said. "The parties who had agreed to buy it were either yourself personally, or yourself, Mr Burke and Mr Collins."
"I can assure you I didn't buy it personally," Mr Richardson said.
Mr O'Neill asked him why he signed the contract.
"I was asked to sign it by our legal adviser," Mr Richardson said. "I was one of the many activists involved in that procedure at the time."
Mr O'Neill highlighted a current account opened at AIB Drumcondra in November 1987 called CODR, for the purposes of buying St Luke's. He said the account should have shown a lodgement of £60,000 if six people had agreed to give £10,000 each. Instead, there was a £34,000 lodgement on December 15th, a withdrawal of £37,000 on January 7th, the day before the sale was completed, and a further lodgement of £35,000 on January 11th.
"There was mention of a loan, a very short-term loan, so that may have made up the balance," Mr Richardson said.
The tribunal heard that Mr Richardson and other trustees took out two mortgages on St Luke's - of £80,000 in 1999 and £40,000 in 2006. Mr Richardson said the money was for repair work carried out on the house in 1989, 1991 and "in that decade".
Mr O'Neill pointed out that another account, the B/T account opened by trustee Tim Collins, was supposed to be for the upkeep of St Luke's. It held £36,000 in 1999 and was owed a further £30,000 by former partner of Mr Ahern, Celia Larkin.
Mr Richardson said they wanted the £36,000 for the future and did not ask Ms Larkin to repay the loan as it may have caused her hardship.
"Were you the person who was engaged in expending this money?" Mr O'Neill asked.
"What money?" Mr Richardson responded.
An Irish businessman based in Sydney, Australia, is scheduled to give evidence to the Mahon tribunal's inquiry into the personal finances of former taoiseach Mr Ahern on June 11th next.
Michael Collins will be the last of the witnesses to give evidence about contributing a "dig-out" for Mr Ahern. The other witnesses gave evidence last year.
