Bertie's friends

Bertie is coming under increasing pressure to reveal details of the monies he received from friends in late 1993, when he was Minister for Finance. This is now being explained as help to pay the legal bills associated with his separation from Miriam, which he’s now claiming that were loans rather than gifts. This would justify not paying tax on them or reporting them in the register of member’s interests.

How he can claim that they’re loans, when nothing has been repaid 13 years later, beggars belief, but then FF have always taken the public for idiots and have generally been proved right!

But wouldn't it be fascinating if Ken Rohan turned out to be one of the friendly donors!

Rohan had furnished his modest home "Charleville" in Enniskerry with very expensive antiques and art which were owned by his company. The Revenue had assessed him as having a BIK liability which was reported to exceed €1m.

In the 1994 Finance Act, Minister for Finance Bertie Ahern introduced an amendment to remove this BIK tax liability. Not only that, but the relief was made retrospective to 1983! Several years later it was reported in the media that Ken Rohan was the sole known beneficiary of this amendment, without this being contradicted by the government or the revenue commissioners.