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Pádraig Flynn pictured in 2004 Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

FF minister Pádraig Flynn took £50k corrupt payment - Mahon

Bertie Ahern knew about the payment but did not ask his then-cabinet colleague about it for almost a decade, the Tribunal has found.

FORMER FIANNA FÁIL government minister Pádraig Flynn used a corrupt payment of IRL£50,000 from a property developer for his own benefit, the Mahon Tribunal has found.

The inquiry’s final report states that senior Fianna Fáil figures including Bertie Ahern knew about the payment to Flynn in 1989 – but did not question him about it until after the establishment of the investigation in the late 1990s.

Flynn, who was Minister for the Environment at the time, “wrongly and corruptly” sought the payment from developer Tom Gilmartin then “proceeded to utilise the money for his personal benefit”, the Tribunal found.

A substantial portion of the money was reportedly used to buy a farm in Co Mayo in the name of Flynn’s wife.

When giving evidence to the Tribunal in 2008, Flynn denied that he personally benefited from the payment.

According to the final report, Gilmartin believed – and was told by Pádraig Flynn – that the payment was a donation to the Fianna Fáil party rather than to Flynn himself. The payment was made on the understanding that Flynn would “ease or remove obstacles” in the way of Gilmartin’s planned Quarryvale development.

Senior Fianna Fáil figures

The payment, and the fact that Flynn had not passed it on to the Fianna Fáil party, were known about by senior Fianna Fáil figures, the Tribunal found. Bertie Ahern was told of the payment by Gilmartin in 1989, while then-Taoiseach Albert Reynolds was informed in 1992.

Current Fianna Fáil TD and social protection spokesperson Seán Fleming – then the party’s financial controller – had examined the party’s official accounts and found no record of the donation from Gilmartin.

The report found it “noteworthy” that Ahern did not contact Flynn over the payment until 1998 or 1999, after the Tribunal had been set up and following “media speculation”. It stated:

When in October/November 1990 (and indeed in 1992) senior personnel within Fianna Fail had essentially the same information (effectively from ‘the horse’s mouth’) the matter was not raised with Mr Flynn at that time.

Flynn served as a European Commissioner representing Ireland until 1999.

Liveblog: Mahon Tribunal rejects Ahern evidence>

More: Full coverage of the Mahon Tribunal, including timeline and who’s who>

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    Mute Joe Johnson
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    Mar 14th 2019, 12:33 AM

    Let us hope the families finally get justice for what happened that terrible bloody Sunday.

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    Mute pat murphy
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    Mar 14th 2019, 12:47 AM

    Murdered by a foreign army on Irish soil…

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    Mute SFNutters
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    Mar 14th 2019, 8:50 AM

    @pat murphy: horse guards

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    Mute Brian Jones
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    Mar 14th 2019, 12:41 AM

    If it was the case that the soldiers were given advance orders to shoot should they feel it was warranted then that order should be traced up the chain of command. I don’t believe it was a spur of the moment decision

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    Mute Jane
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    Mar 14th 2019, 7:24 AM

    @Brian Jones: I don’t think they needed to feel it was warranted. I was listening to an interview by one of the relatives the other day and he said that one of the soldiers that gave evidence to Saville said that he looked down the barrel of his gun but could see no justification for shooting so he didn’t pull the trigger. Others didn’t seem to care whether it was justified or not.

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    Mute Barry Somers
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    Mar 14th 2019, 5:38 AM

    Will be amazed if these people receive justice, UK 2ont like to admit that it’s own army murdered people

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Mar 14th 2019, 7:22 AM

    @Barry Somers: agree , but every army murders people!

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Mar 14th 2019, 8:20 AM

    @Barry Somers: unlikely they will see justice, British soldiers, British courts, British jury…..

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    Mute Maurice Frazer
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    Mar 14th 2019, 9:06 AM

    Had the pleasure of meeting with these wonderful people from Derry recently when they came to Dublin to support our fight for Justice for the Stardust 48.
    We wish them all the best in their quest for Justice. As I have said before…. TRUTH+JUSTICE=PEACE

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    Mute Donal Carey
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    Mar 14th 2019, 9:22 AM

    Give these families justice and peace enough is enough

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    Mute Charles Williams
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    Mar 14th 2019, 10:15 AM

    Like all historic trouble related murders in N.Ireland, it’s time to let go of the past and move on to the future. All trouble related crimes on all sides committed before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement should be subject to a general amnesty. Nobody murdered on any side of the troubles is coming back. Death is a one way street, a shared future is a two way street. Let go of the past and move on to a better, brighter shared future.

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    Mute Sean O'Rourke
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    Mar 14th 2019, 11:06 AM

    @Charles Williams: Easier said than done Charles.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Mar 14th 2019, 12:31 PM

    @Charles Williams What you say would make perfect sense but some scars will only begin to heal when everyone associated with them is dead and even then …

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    Mute T Beckett is back
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    Mar 14th 2019, 3:16 PM

    @Charles Williams:

    The British army were never charged, imprisoned, admitted or apologised for their murders, so they’re not covered by the GFA – which also they were against.

    And yet there are still people who were British blood stained poppies.

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