The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, offered no comment yesterday on the statement by Mr Sean Fleming about the circumstances surrounding the payment of the £30,000 Fitzwilton donation to Mr Ray Burke in 1989.
The Laois-Offaly TD, who was the party's financial director at that time, created some embarrassment for Mr Ahern when he told the Dail on Wednesday night that he had pointed out to former Taoiseach Mr Charles Haughey in 1989 that Fianna Fail had been "left short" in respect of Mr Burke's payment of £10,000 of the £30,000 to the party.
Mr Fleming also stated that he did not discuss the payment with Mr Ahern last summer in accordance with a long-standing practice not to discuss details of individual donations with the party leader.
The Democratic Left spokesman, Mr Pat Rabbitte, questioned yesterday: "Why tell the then leader, Mr Haughey, and not tell the present leader, Mr Ahern?"
It seemed to him, he said, that the strategy was to ring fence it to the Haughey era, but that in attempting to ring fence it, Mr Fleming had created more problems for Mr Ahern than he had answered. Most people would find it difficult to understand, if Mr Ahern did really carry out a rigorous inquiry into Mr Burke's suitability for Cabinet, why he did not ask the party treasurer what he knew about it, Mr Rabbitte said.
