Edmund Farrell, Believed to have authorised political donations
The Moriarty Tribunal has heard how two Government Departments advanced more than £25,000 to cover personal expenses incurred by the late Brian Lenihan during his liver transplant operation at Charles Haughey's request. The Tribunal also heard evidence from a former Fianna Fail party accountant who claimed the party had no record of certain payments made to it by the Irish Permanent Building Society.
Three Irish Permanent cheques totalling £140,000 were lodged to the party leader's account between 1986 and 1991. But a former Fianna Fail party accountant, Sean Fleming TD, has told the Tribunal the party has no record of these payments.
Current and former directors of the society have told the Moriarty Tribunal that their colleague, Dr Edmund Farrell, would have taken a decision on how much a political party would receive from the society. The Irish Permanent Building Society gave Fianna Fail £100,000 in two payments in 1986, a year in which there was no election. Fianna Fail party headquarters have already stated that it made no request for donations from the Society that year.
The cheques ended up in the party leaders allowance fund in AIB in Baggott Street in 1991, a local election year. Irish Permanent also gave Fianna Fail £40,000. This cheque also ended up in the leaders allowance account. All three cheques were endorsed on the back by Charles Haughey. This morning a former director of the society, Gerard Tracey, said he counter-signed cheques which were first signed by Doctor Farrell. Mr Tracey said that he saw nothing unusual in these donations in 1986. However under questioning from Tribunal lawyers he admitted that the two donations were "large sums".
Earlier, a statement from a current director of the society Patrick Robert Douglas was read out. He counter-signed the cheque for £40,000 in 1991. However, he said decisions in relation to the donations were made by Doctor Farrell alone. Mr Douglas added that there was no mention of the payments in any of the Board minutes of the society.
