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Celia in the Witness Box at Mahon Tribunal
Read more about: Fianna Fail, Tribunals 
Update Simon: 13/09 Good catch by someone. Bertie Ahern has always said he has not had a drivers licence for 20 years. So how could he have driven her to the bank.
A developing story all day, following yesterdays testimony by both Michael Wall and the AIB forex official.
Would you leave 30k in a suitcase in a hotel wardrobe overnight? I probably wouldn’t get a wink of sleep. Interesting thougts from Anthony over at public inquiry as to why Bertie is fine;
For Ahern, this episode is nothing more than an irritant.
He knows that standards in Irish public life operate from the sewer, that most Irish citizens are docile and easily fooled, that the media quickly loses interest as soon as the next scandal breaks and most of all he knows that there is no authority in the state with the courage or power to actually make him accountable.
Anyway updates will be posted here throughout the day so feel free to treat this as today’s Mahon Tribunal thread.
Update:
RTE:
Lawyers for the Mahon Tribunal claim Ms Larkin has given three different versions of the lodgement of nearly £30,000 given by Manchester businessman Michael Wall.Ms Larkin now says she collected sterling in a briefcase at the request of her then partner, Mr Ahern, from his constituency office and lodged it to her account.
But in her original statement to the tribunal, Ms Larkin said it was Mr Wall who lodged the money.
…
She said most of the money went on stamp duty and a conservatory for the Drumcondra house Mr Wall bought and rented to Mr Ahern.Ms Larkin admitted it was incorrect for her to say in a previous interview that that it was speculation to say the money was sterling.
She knew for a fact it was sterling because she had seen it put out on the table in St Lukes, Mr Ahern’s constituency office.
Ms Larkin operated three bank accounts for Mr Ahern’s benefit during the 1990s.
Those paying their taxes under the PAYE system – and companies paying Corporation Profits Tax – might decide enough is enough – and withhold payment of all taxes until it is demonstrated that their money is being spent in a prudent fashion on running the country.
They should demand independently audited accounts, bi-annually, of all Income and Expenditure.
Nothing less should be acceptable.
After all the Term “GOVERNMENT MONEY OR GOVERNMENT ASSETS ” is a Myth. There is only the Citizens’ Money and the Citizens’ Assets.
The Government acts as a Trustee for these.
And Bertie Ahern and Fianna Fail have betrayed that Trust.
“Allons enfants de la patrie, le jour de gloire est arrive, contra nous le tyrannee…!
Nothing less.
It’s incredible testimony from Celia in every sense of the word and yet Bertie is surely relieved that there’s no smoking gun. Just a story that was changed 3 times, what sounds a lot like witness preparation by Bertie with her before she settled on her final answer, and the strange shuffling of money into and out of AIB accounts, with the timing looking very dodgy — going in when Bertie was about to be Taoiseach, and coming out when he clearly wasn’t. No doubt the Tribunal has their theory of what was going on but it’s unlikely to see the light of day unless they catch one of the witnesses out.
The usual comedy routine too with Bertie having a stack of briefcases on his desk at St Luke’s. Some containing government papers and some containing stacks of cash.