Ahern admits to questionable tax affairs
Bertie Ahern, Ireland’s most successful leader, admits to questionable tax affairs
The fortunes of
Bertie
Ahern, reportedly the most successful political Irish leader since
independence from Britain, has hit rock bottom after he was forced to admit to
questionable tax affairs.
Ahern’s current problems are related to a long-running public investigation,
the
Mahon
tribunal, into land planning deals linked to political favours.
The Taioseach has suffered days of drawn-out cross-questioning about
so-called ‘dig-outs’ – loans or gifts from rich businessmen, The Times
reports.
The tribunal is investigating claims by a developer, Owen O’Callaghan, that
he gave substantial sums of cash to Ahern between 1989 and 1992, and a series of
payments he received when he was finance minister in the 1990s.
Further reading:
Deloitte’s £40m bill shocks Ireland