Bertie Ahern has been invited to rejoin Fianna Fáil.
The former Taoiseach [Prime Minister] resigned from the party in 2012 ahead of a meeting of the Fianna Fáil National Executive to consider expelling him.
This followed the publication of the final report of the Mahon Tribunal.
The tribunal found that Ahern, while not judged corrupt, had received monies from developers and the tribunal disbelieved his explanations for receiving payments.
The chair of the party’s Dublin Central constituency organization said it would be up to Ahern whether or not he wants to rejoin the party he led from 1994 until 2008.
Ahern joined Fianna Fáil in the 1960s and was a TD from 1977 until 2011.
He served as Minister for Labour between 1987 and 1991 and Minister for Finance from 1991 to 1994.
He led Fianna Fáil to three general election victories.
While lauded for his work in securing the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and for presiding over Ireland’s economic growth during the Celtic Tiger years, Ahern’s legacy has been tainted somewhat, along with that of Brian Cowen, who followed him as Taoiseach, for their role in business transactions that led to the financial crisis in Ireland in 2008.
As a result, Fianna Fáil fell from power in 2011 and have been in opposition since, although, under current leader, Micheál Martin, the party has been undergoing something of a resurgence, more than doubling its seat tally in the 2016 general election.
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