Manchester dinner:Fianna Fáil Senator Tony Kett has said he attended a dinner in Manchester in 1994 after which Bertie Ahern has said he was given approximately stg£8,000 in cash.
Senator Kett has also said he was in the Beaumont House pub in Dublin on the night in 1994 when Mr Ahern has said he was given £16,500 in cash. Senator Kett said Mr Ahern was surprised by both donations.
In a statement to the tribunal last year, Senator Kett described the dinner in Manchester as an "official function" for the Irish community. He said Mr Ahern, the then minister for finance, spoke for half-an-hour about the Irish economy and this was followed by questions and answers.
Yesterday, Des O'Neill SC, for the tribunal, pointed out that Mr Ahern, in his evidence earlier this year, had said the event was an "informal gathering" involving "social chat" and it was a not a "stand up make a speech" event.
When it was put to him that Mr Ahern's evidence was different to what he had said in his statement, Senator Kett said: "My understanding and my recollection is that he spoke for a while prior to questions and answers."
He said it was an official occasion in the context of the weekend, which otherwise involved a group of approximately 10 people travelling to Manchester for a football match.
He said he did not witness any collection for Mr Ahern but was told by him subsequently that there had been a collection.
