I agree with Gavin that the evidence emerging at the Mahon Tribunal is “nothing short of explosive.” It is the smoking gun that is likely to expose Bertie Ahern as a liar.
He has always strongly denied making any significant Sterling transactions. There can be only two reasons for this strong denial – He’s actually telling the truth and didn’t deal in Sterling or, he did, but cannot say so because it would provide a direct link to allegations that he took bribes.
Grainne Carruth, Ahern’s former secretary, has now confirmed that she dealt with large sums of Sterling on Ahern’s behalf.
To date, Ahern has sought to use his failed marriage, his children, his friends and colleagues, businessmen friends who were not actually friends and even dead people in increasingly desperate attempts to explain his activities.
His stories have become progressively more bizarre and unbelievable but low accountability standards in Ireland means that nothing short of a smoking gun is required. It looks like Grainne Carruth’s evidence is that smoking gun.
See here at Gavin’s Blog for the incredible list of transactions made, mostly in Sterling, to Ahern’s account.
Bertie seems to be taking Groucho Marx’s statment “Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others” and changing “principles” to “explanations”!