Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I was not dealing with a business or doing business with a private sector employer of the size with which Deputy Lowry was. I do not wish to make life difficult for the Deputy — that is not fair; it was many years ago — but the context was that it was a direct business engagement. That is business and in business one tends to have contracts. I had an arrangement with friends who were assisting me. I could have done it with the bank and it would have been just as easy. In fact, I did part of it with the bank and then reversed it later because I accepted their loan. I would have paid the bank the interest and I paid them the interest. In my mind — one can accept it or not — it is totally different. I do not believe I have changed my position on that.

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