 During a September 2006 interview with RTÉ's Bryan Dobson Ahern denied that he had received any illegal payments and claimed that some of the transactions related to unsolicited dig-outs from friends during his legal separation proceedings in 1993 and 1994.Further transactions relating to the purchase of his house and foreign currency conversions became public during the lead up to the 2007 general election.The tribunal postponed sittings for the duration of the campaign.