Dublin Castle, Flood Tribunal continues
The Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey, has told the Flood Tribunal that he was never asked, nor did he ever interview, builder Michael Bailey about allegations of payments to Ray Burke. It was suggested yesterday that he had been asked by Bertie Ahern to conduct the interview.
At the Tribunal earlier, a journalist has claimed that false allegations against him introduced in evidence at the Flood Tribunal yesterday has the potential to put himself and his family in danger. Sunday Business Post Correspondent, Frank Connolly, rejected as "disgraceful" the suggestion that he was a member of the Republican paramilitary group the INLA.
The Tribunal heard yesterday that Joseph Murphy Junior would say he was told by Dermot Ahern that Mr. Connolly was "a dangerous bastard" and was a member of those groups. Mr. Connolly is the journalist who first published the stories containing James Gogarty's allegations.
Asked about this, Minster Ahern said it was unlikely that he would have said this as he had not such information about Mr. Connolly's background and only knew him as a journalist. Mr. Connolly is the journalist who first published the stories containing James Gogarty's allegations. In the witness box this morning, Frank Connolly said that he was outraged at the way this had been put into evidence.
