Mahon tribunal:The host of a Fianna Fáil fundraising dinner in Cork in 1994, attended by then taoiseach Albert Reynolds, has told the Mahon tribunal he does not recall advising any of the guests to contribute £5,000 to the party.
Chartered accountant Niall Welch, who hosted the meal at his home in Dunkettle on March 11th, 1994, also denied meeting Bertie Ahern, who was then minister for finance, with party chief fundraiser Des Richardson, a couple of days before the dinner.
Developer Tom Gilmartin had told the tribunal that Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan told him he gave Mr Reynolds a suitcase containing £150,000 in a bedroom at 3am on the same night.
Mr Welch, a friend of Mr Reynolds, said he was approached by either Mr Richardson or Mr O'Callaghan and asked to host the dinner. He said he met Mr Richardson to plan the dinner, but did not recall meeting Mr Ahern on March 9th, although a breakfast meeting was marked in Mr Ahern's diary with Mr Richardson and a Niall Walsh.
Mr Welch said he invited some of the guests to the dinner and Mr O'Callaghan had his own guest list. He employed caterers from the Imperial Hotel in Cork to supply the food and paid for it himself, he said.
He said he told anyone he had invited that the purpose of the dinner was to have a private discussion with Mr Reynolds about the local and national economy and to fundraise for Fianna Fáil. "That night to me was a very important night in my home."
He said Mr Reynolds talked about the economy but did not discuss fundraising and he apologised about having to leave early because he had to catch a helicopter to Dublin by midnight.
The dinner raised £50,000 and cheques and cash were lodged to Fianna Fáil's account the following Monday. Mr O'Callaghan donated £10,000, a Mr O'Connell donated £6,000, businessmen Noel C Duggan, Edward McNamara, John Fleming, William Grainger, Colm O'Conaill and John McCarthy contributed £5,000 each, and £4,000 cash was also donated, the tribunal was told.
Patricia Dillon SC, counsel for the tribunal, read into the record a statement from Mr O'Conaill, of Radio County Sound Ltd, who said Mr Welch had invited him to the dinner and had advised him to contribute £5,000.
Mr Welch said he was shocked by the statement and did not remember asking anybody for £5,000. "I'd be very surprised if I said to somebody, 'Please come to my house, the price is £5,000'," he said.
Mr Welch said he did recall seeing envelopes on the table after the dinner, but could not remember if he was personally handed any of the envelopes. If he was, he couldn't recall to whom he passed them on, but suspected it might have been Mr Richardson. He did not leave a collection plate at his hall door, he said.
Joseph Dowling told the tribunal he was invited to the dinner by former minister for agriculture Joe Walsh, but was not aware it was a fundraising event and did not contribute.
Mr Fleming, of John J Fleming Construction Company Ltd, also at the dinner, said he left an envelope containing a cheque for £5,000 behind him on the table.
He couldn't remember if the figure was suggested to him. He got no receipt and was never thanked for the money, the tribunal heard.
No individual receipts were issued to anyone who donated at the dinner.
