Garda Commissioner Drew Harris last night raised the prospect of a criminal probe into the RTE payments scandal.
However, he added: “We haven’t received any complaints.” The Commissioner said the force would only examine the possibility of an investigation if a complaint was made to it by executives in RTE.
He continued: “They would need to bring their concerns to my office.” Mr Harris was speaking after yet another day of high drama in an Oireachtas committee that was grilling RTE bosses over the massive scandal of secret payments of hundreds of thousands of euro to Ryan Tubridy, the organisation’s top earning star.
Yesterday it was the turn of politicians and the Public Accounts Committee to interrogate senior RTE executives. The bombshell hearing heard RTE Chairperson Siun Ni Raghallaigh slam the secret payments of just over €326,000 to Mr Tubridy in a six-year period as an act designed to deceive.
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Ms Ni Raghellaigh told the TDs and senators: “As a trained accountant and a former financial controller, I am appalled as to how payments were recorded and presented in the RTE accounts.
“What was the motivation here? It appears to me that this was an act designed to deceive.
“I and the board would also urge Dee Forbes to appear before this committee when she is able to do so.” Shortly after that hard hitting comment, RTE Chief Financial Officer Richard Colins said he believed it was possible the secret payments meant the public may have been defrauded.
Mr Collins initially said he had been given legal advice that there was nothing illegal in the secret payments to Mr Tubridy, who at the time was the presenter of RTE’s flagship, The Late, Late Show.
He said: “I’ve had legal advice to say that it isn’t fraud.”
But when pressed by Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon, Mr Collins said he believed there could be a question of concealment or deception in the payments.
Mr Dillon asked: “Would you not determine that to be fraud, wrongfully known?”
Mr Collins replied: “It depends who the fraud is against
“My own opinion is maybe the taxpayer was defrauded.”
When pressed further by Sinn Fein TD John Brady whether he would make a formal complaint to gardai, which would kickstart a criminal investigation, Mr Collins said he was taking legal advice on that.
Meanwhile, former RTE Chairperson Moya Doherty told the public accounts committee that she believed the barter fund used to make the secret payments to Mr Tubridy via an account in England was nothing more than a slush fund, something used to pay for things illicitly.
Ms Doherty said: “The definition of a slush fund struck me as a very horrific description.
“None of us know of the existence of this barter fund, it was outside of the finance department.
“It did not appear in the monthly accounts. That is staggering and absolutely shocking.”
TDs Willie O’Dea and Mattie McGrath called for gardai to get but Mr Harris last night said he did not see the need for a probe – at this stage.
Mr Harris said: “We would only engage if there were elements of deception or dishonesty in respect of behaviour. We will await developments.”
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