Former Fianna Fáil minister Mr Ray Burke today accused Bank of Ireland of being "unco-operative" with him in his attempts to get information for the Flood Tribunal.
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Mr Ray Burke at the Flood Tribunal yesterday. Photograph: Matt Kavanagh
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Mr Burke told the tribunal he had sent a letter of authority to the bank in 1998 directing them to furnish the tribunal with all relevant files and documents relating to his accounts and yet information was still coming out.
The balance of information, he complained, had not been disclosed until just over a week ago. Mr Burke said the constant revelations in the media about his affairs and his bank accounts have caused him "considerable distress".
He said he had nothing to hide in relation to allegations of corruption against him. "I just want to get everything cleared up so I can get on with my life," he said.
However, counsel for the tribunal Ms Patricia Dillon SC accused Mr Burke of previously failing to disclose information regarding an Allied Irish Bank account in the Isle of Man held in his name.
Ms Dillon said he had not mentioned it in his testimony to the tribunal in 1999 despite requesting information from the bank about it in 1998. She asked Mr Burke why he waited in June 2000 to tell the tribunal of the account.
Mr Burke said at the time he did not have the documentation and that he was trying to get information for the tribunal. "I have tried to co-operate with the tribunal in every way," he said.
