THE McCracken Tribunal will make a public statement possibly as early as today, explaining its reluctant attitude to Opposition moves to widen its terms of reference.
The tribunal is expected to confirm that no politician or public official, other than Mr Charles Haughey, was the beneficial owner of any of the funds in the secretive Pounds 30-Pounds 40 million Ansbacher accounts discovered in the course of its investigation into payments to politicians by Dunnes Stores.
It will also indicate its belief that Pounds 1.3 million was the sum total of the benefit which Mr Haughey received from those accounts.
It was reliably learned that both the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, received a full briefing on the tribunal's attitude to Dail moves to change its terms of reference at this point. The Attorney General's Office was in contact with the tribunal yesterday.
Government sources confirmed that Mr Ahern and Ms Harney yesterday discussed the Dail motions being tabled by Fine Gael and Labour to widen the tribunal's remit. They were concerned to ensure the tribunal would establish the full truth about payments to politicians by Dunnes Stores.
The two leaders will continue consultations in coming days to identify the best course of action to be pursued.
Before contact was established with the tribunal yesterday, the Taoiseach said that if the tribunal believed there was some appropriate extension required, he would certainly be interested in talking to it about that "but I would do nothing that would affect or try to redirect or delay the excellent work that has been done by the chairman of the tribunal".
Mr Ahern also signalled that he would be amenable to any extension the tribunal believed would be required.
It is understood the tribunal believes that the information given to it to date, particularly in relation to the Ansbacher accounts has been on the basis of strict confidentiality and on the basis of the terms of reference already given.
The tribunal is also of the opinion that if its terms were broadened and if it had to use information in a different context, it would be in breach of the clause of confidentiality on which it received the information.
It is understood the tribunal received much co-operation from banks here in relation to the Cayman Islands money, based on the existing terms of reference.
The Government signalled to the tribunal yesterday it would be helpful if it were to outline its attitude to any Dail move to change its terms of reference.
Fine Gael and Labour published details of their Dail motions yesterday, which seek to establish whether any donors, besides Dunnes Stores, made payments to politicians, public officials, or related persons
Mr Michael Lowry TD resumes giving evidence to the tribunal today, and will give an account of his relationship with Dunnes Stores and Mr Ben Dunne. He will also be asked to respond to yesterday's evidence that he told Fine Gael TD Mr Paul McGrath that he should have supported granting special status under the urban renewal scheme to a Mullingar development scheme. Dunnes Stores was being suggested as the "anchor tenant" in the scheme.
Mr McGrath told the tribunal yesterday that Mr Lowry approached him in Leinster House and told him his opposition to giving designated status to the development was "sending out the wrong message"to Mr Ben Dunne.
Mr McGrath said Mr Lowry told him Mr Dunne was a major contributor to Fine Gael and the party was in debt.
