Ben Dunne:The Moriarty tribunal report published today said it did not accept that former supermarket tycoon Ben Dunne could not remember making certain payments to Charles Haughey.
Ben Dunne arrives at the tribunal in July 2003. Photol: Cyril Byrne
The report found although Mr Dunne had been "a courteous witness", it "cannot accept what has been conveyed to it, in submissions and medical reports furnished on his behalf, to the effect that the several instances of further payments on his part discovered by the tribunal had eluded his memory.
"From careful observation of Mr Dunne in evidence on several occasions . . . it appeared that he could be an astute and observant witness in respect of many matters and, given the high quality of assistance and advice at all times available to him, the tribunal cannot accept that all these successive transactions . . . were matters in respect of which he had no actual recollection".
Mr Dunne reacted angrily to the report and called it a "disgrace" today. Speaking on RTÉ's News at Oneprogramme Mr Dunne said: "The tribunal have called me a liar. I dispute and I refuse to accept that. I haven't hid behind smoke screens. If I didn't have a recollection of certain things it's that I genuinely forgot.
"In the fullness of time maybe I will have to make my medical records public."
The Moriarty tribunal followed the McCracken tribunal, which was set up to investigate payments made to Mr Haughey by Dunnes Stores director Mr Dunne.
Mr Justice Moriarity's inquiries spanned 17 years, from 1979 to 1996, and centred on Mr Dunne's payments and other cash Mr Haughey was given.
