Des Richardson sought donations from some well-heeled pals to contribute to a fund that would help then Finance Minister Bertie Ahern pay legal expenses due to his marital separation.
Or, Des Richardson sought donations from some well-heeled pals to fund Bertie Ahern's constituency, as the minister was pressed for time and couldn't get out to fund-raise.
Padraic O'Connor, one of the well-heeled, donated 5000 pounds to the whip-around.
Or, Padraic O'Connor gave a check for 5000 pounds to fund the constituency, a check that oddly enough had a bogus invoice against it on the ledger sheets. Maintaining discretion is the reason; didn't want anyone to know he was giving money to a Fianna Fail minister on the verge of becoming An Taoiseach. The bill from Euro Workforce Ltd., a non-existent company, was created to hide the political contribution.
Des Richardson was asking for donations of 2500 pounds. Except he now recalls that he asked a few for double that amount so he only had to go to three or four gentlemen instead of six or eight.
Where did the money go? The Mahon Tribunal may be in need of an expert tracker to pick up the money trail, which is so convoluted and confusing that no one could begin to follow it through to a logical end. Political contributions, a helping hand to a rising politician in a time of economic need, or flat out bribes?
Depending on which road you take, you'll come to three different places, but they all merge at one spot. That's the place where you scratch your head and wonder why there are so many stories and reasons and explanations for what should have been a fairly simple and straightforward transaction. Why try to hide a dig-out or a political donation, unless the money wasn't meant for those two things after all?
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