Former Irish PM Haughey took cash for favours

[Judi Lynn]

Former Irish PM Haughey took cash for favours
Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:18 PM GMT

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Former Irish Prime Minister Charles Haughey took cash from businessmen in return for favours over a 17-year period, a long-running investigation found on Tuesday.

The Moriarty Tribunal, which has been running since 1997, said in its 700-page report that Haughey -- who died in June -- accepted millions from wealthy businessmen that funded a lavish lifestyle at a time when Ireland was suffering economically.

"Mr. Haughey lived a lifestyle and incurred expenditures vastly beyond the scale of the public service entitlements which were his sole apparent income," the report found.

It rejected evidence given by Haughey -- who died aged 80 after a lengthy illness -- in which he justified accepting personal donations by arguing they were from "disinterested citizens seeking to assist a politician whose views they supported."
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-12-19T141830Z_01_L19221274_RTRUKOC_0_UK-IRELAND-PAYMENTS.xml



Haughey with Thatcher, Gorbachev, Major

[Kutjara]

1. The best piece of evasive verbiage ever:

The money came from "disinterested citizens seeking to assist a politician whose views they supported." Suuuuure it did, Charles.

[MADem]

2. It's not Guiness beer, nor Cooley's whiskey, that brought that smile to his face, we learn! NT

[Solo_in_MD]

3. It was Cooter's Candy