Kenny claims Ahern situation is 'very grave'
Tuesday, 26 September 2006 23:01
Opposition parties have said the Taoiseach's interview with RTÉ News has raised more questions than it answered.
In the interview, Bertie Ahern revealed that a group of friends made two separate payments to him in 1993 and 1994 totalling IR£39,000.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said it was a 'very grave' situation for Mr Ahern, and that questions on ethics and tax arose as a result of the interview.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said it was 'stretching credulity' to describe the payment as a loan. He claimed that that it in reality it was a gift which raises taxation questions.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said Mr Ahern had misled the Irish people by saying the reported figure of ¤50,000 to ¤100,000 was 'off the wall', when in fact it was accurate.
Sinn Féin's Sean Crowe said the amount involved was very large, and could have bought a house in 1993.
However, there has been no response to the interview from the Progressive Democrats.
- <STRONG>Nine News</STRONG>: David McCullagh speaks about the damage to Mr Ahern as a result of the payments
- <STRONG>Nine News</STRONG>: Edel McAllister reports on the rules and procedures concerning the declaration of payments to politicians
- <STRONG>Nine News</STRONG>: David McCullagh, Political Correspondent, reports on Opposition reaction to the statement
- <STRONG>Nine News</STRONG>: David Davin-Power, Political Correspondent, reports on revelations by Bertie Ahern during an interview with RTÉ News
- <STRONG>Six One News</STRONG>: David McCullagh, Political Correspondent, analyses the political impact of the Taoiseach's comments and how the Opposition will react to the information revealed
- <STRONG>Six One News</STRONG>: Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach, gives an exclusive interview to RTÉ's Six One News in which he gives his first detailed comments on the controversy over payments to him in the early 1990s
- <STRONG>Six One News</STRONG>: David Davin-Power, Political Correspondent, reports on the remarks made to RTÉ's Six One News by Bertie Ahern regarding the payments under investigation by the Mahon Tribunal
- <STRONG>Six One News</STRONG>: Bryan Dobson and Sharon Ní Bheoláin give the details of payments totalling £39,000 made to Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach, in 1993 and 1994 when he was Minister for Finance
