An inquiry by Aer Rianta into allegations that the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, never paid for €5,000 worth of drink and cigars has found no documents to back up the allegation.
Last night, the Minister declared: "I am very pleased that the final Aer Rianta report has fully cleared my name in relation to this matter. I wish to thank the very many people who worked so hard on the investigation."
Insisting that it had carried out "an exhaustive search" of its files, Aer Rianta said there was "no documentary, or other evidence" that Mr Brennan had received such goods.
In all, five invoices from before 1994, referencing the Minister or Ministerial groups, were identified, though all of these were for goods bought in the normal course of business, principally by departing official delegations.
Aer Rianta said there was a "divergence" in the evidence of a former director, Mr Dermot O'Leary and a former chief executive, Mr Derek Keogh about an alleged conversation between the two in 1993. In his evidence, Mr O'Leary said Mr Keogh had then brought to his attention an outstanding bill owed by Mr Brennan, though Mr O'Leary said he did not know then of the amount involved.
However, Mr Keogh, when interviewed by Aer Rianta's Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Brian Hampson and Mr Tony Sweeney, the company's general manager, told him that he had no recollection of such a discussion.
During the inquiry, the two Aer Rianta executives spoke with a substantial, though unquantified, number of current and former directors and employees who might have known if drink and cigars had been supplied to the Minister.
"In addition, an exhaustive search has been made to locate any supporting transactional information from the late 1980s, or early 1990s," said Mr Hampson and Mr Sweeney in their report, issued last night.
They said Aer Rianta destroys files after seven years, as do most other companies. "For this reason, detailed transactional dates is not readily available for periods prior to 1994," they said.
However, the five invoices for IR£554, which all date before 1994, were found in the search because they were included in general administration files that are held for much longer, a company spokesman said last night.
Acknowledging that the controversy was losing steam, Fine Gael TD, Mr Denis Naughten called on the Minister to urge Aer Rianta to publish the full statements provided by all those interviewed.
"If that is done, it will remove any cloud of doubt that may remain over the Minister and ensure that his integrity and reputation are not questioned. It would be in his own interests to do so," said Mr Naughten.
The Longford/Roscommon TD said Mr Brennan has not contradicted Mr Dermot O'Leary's assertion that he, Mr O'Leary, had told him in 1995 that an invoice was outstanding. The final results of the Aer Rianta inquiry were passed on to its auditors, KPMG for review at the request of the chairman of the semi-State, Mr Noel O'Hanlon, the company said.
