An insurance broker and investment adviser told the Moriarty tribunal that he accompanied Mr Michael Lowry on a visit to AIB O'Connell Street, Dublin, in January 1991, contrary to the evidence of the former Fine Gael minister.
Mr Seamus O'Neill, a former director of J.C. Financial Management, said he introduced Mr Lowry to Mr Liam O'Connell, the then assistant manager of the branch, in the belief that the TD was seeking to invest some money.
Mr O'Neill had met Mr Lowry some weeks before and indicated that because of his long-standing relationship with AIB, he might be able to get a good deposit rate for the politician.
It has since emerged that follo wing the introduction, Mr O'Connell arranged for the setting up of an offshore account for Mr Lowry with a £55,000 sterling deposit. Mr Lowry has said he has no recollection of meeting Mr O'Neill or of arranging the transfer of funds.
Mr O'Neill, who was involved with J.C. Financial Management between 1989 and 1992, said he was introduced to Mr Lowry at his company premises in Thurles by a friend, Mr Don O'Dwyer. Mr O'Neill had hoped to sell a company pension scheme to the TD but no deal was made.
During their conversation, however, the broker mentioned that if Mr Lowry wished to invest any monies, he might be able to get a good rate of interest from AIB's O'Connell Street branch, with which he did a lot of business.
Mr O'Neill said his main business was selling pension and life assurance schemes, and that Mr Lowry was the only person whom he referred to the bank. He said neither he nor his company would have got any commission for the introduction but he was hoping it would cement the company's relationship with AIB.
Mr O'Neill said he accompanied Mr Lowry to the branch, introduced him to Mr O'Connell, and left them to discuss matters. He said he presumed he would have introduced Mr Lowry as a TD and businessman, although Mr O'Connell contests this.
The discussions between Mr Lowry and Mr O'Connell lasted only about half an hour, after which the TD left the bank with Mr O'Neill. He said "neither Mr Lowry nor the bank indicated that any business had been done".
He added neither he nor his company was involved in setting up any account for Mr Lowry, or facilitating the £55,000 sterling transfer to the Channel Islands. He did not agree with Mr O'Connell that F.C. Financial Management did a lot of the "leg-work" on the transaction.
Mr David Barniville, for Mr Lowry, said the TD's evidence was that he still had no recollection of either of the two encounters with Mr O'Neill but "he is not in a position to categorically deny that either meeting took place".
Later, Mr O'Connell said he could recall Mr Lowry visiting the branch with "several" representatives of J.C. Financial Management. He could not recall what was discussed but he accepted that he subsequently sent a letter to AIB's Channel Islands branch asking it to open an account for the politician with the £55,000 sterling deposit.
Mr O'Connell said a search of documentation had been carried at O'Connell Street and there was no record of any account held by Mr Lowry. To the best of his knowledge, he had never opened an offshore account for another client.
Asked whether this seemed strange - that the only client for whom he opened an account in the Channel Islands did not have an account at the branch - Mr O'Connell said he could not comment.
The AIB official said he could not recall who gave him instructions in relation to the account although he stressed "the transaction was carried out or activated by the financial consultants".
