FORMER Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is no longer listed as a speaker on the website of the prestigious Washington Speakers Bureau.

He had been available for hire along with others former politicians, including Tony Blair, George W Bush and John Major.

Mr Ahern remained on the website as recently as this week, despite the findings of the Mahon Tribunal, which said he repeatedly lied about the sources of €275,000 in his bank accounts.

His speaker’s fee had been listed as at least €30,000.

The former Taoiseach was in Nigeria this week, where he gave the keynote address at the Ogun State Economic Investors’ Forum.

Efforts by the Irish Independent to contact the Washington Speakers Bureau for comment were unsuccessful.

It is understood that Mr Ahern was not at his Drumcondra home yesterday. A spokesman said he was only commenting on the Mahon Report.

Overseas

In 2010, his last as a TD, Mr Ahern took nine overseas trips, according to the register of members interests for that year.

On two occasions he travelled to events organised by the Washington Speakers Bureau in Budapest and Nigeria. Other trips included engagements at universities in Cambridge, Oxford and Berlin, as well as Frankfurt with Zurich Insurance and Dezhon in China for the Congress of International Forestry Fund.

Mr Ahern currently serves as a voluntary board member with the peace charity Co-operation Ireland. He is also chairman of the International Forest Fund and of the renewable-energy firm Scientia Solar.

A spokesman for the International Forest Fund would not comment when asked if Mr Ahern was paid for his role or if it was considering his position in light of the Mahon findings.

Co-operation Ireland said none of its board members were paid for their services. A spokeswoman said the board was due to meet again at the end of April.

It is not clear what payment, if any, Mr Ahern receives as chair of Scientia Solar.

– Colm Kelpie and Paul Melia

Irish Independent