Folens widow gets RTÉ gag order

THE widow of the late educational publisher Albert Folens has secured a temporary High Court order preventing RTÉ from using an interview with her husband as part of its “Hidden Ireland-Ireland’s Nazis” television series.

Yesterday at the High Court, Ms Justice Mary Laffoy granted an interim injunction to Juliette Folens preventing RTÉ, Tile Films Ltd and journalist Senan Moloney from using material obtained in a media interview that her husband gave 20 years ago.

The matter was adjourned to today.

In addition, Ms Folens is seeking an order for the discovery and inspection of the second and final part of the “Ireland’s Nazis” series, which RTÉ has indicated will feature Mr Folens.

The programme is due to be broadcast on RTÉ 1 next Tuesday night.

Counsel for Ms Folens, John Rogers SC, said that, in 1987, Mr Folens, who is a Belgian national, gave an interview to journalist Senan Moloney, who at the time worked for the Sunday Tribune newspaper.

That interview, which is seven minutes long, was recorded on tape.

Parts of it are to be featured in next week’s broadcast.

Mr Rogers said that a representative of the newspaper, Mr Moloney and Mr Folens had signed an agreement that allowed Mr Folens to see any article before publication, and gave the interviewee the right of reply.

His client was seeking an injunction restraining the defendants from using, broadcasting and publishing the subject matter of that interview, otherwise than in accordance with the particular terms of the agreement in 1987.

Ms Folens also wants the court to issue an order compelling the defendants to provide her with a copy of the said interview, and all notes and material relating to that interview which are in the defendants’ power or procurement.

Following the publication of newspaper articles about the programmes, there was a suggestion that during the Second World War Mr Folens was a Nazi, and was wanted for war crimes.

Such a suggestion, Mr Rogers said, was “completely wrong,” was “out of historical context,” and would be “deeply wounding” to the Folens family.

Mr Folens founded the educational publication company, Folens, after he moved to Ireland following the Second World War.

The scheduled broadcasting of the second programme follows the airing of the first part last Tuesday night.

Mr Folens, who was Flemish, died in 2003, aged 86.

Ms Folens and her family said they were outraged at what they said were the false allegations being made in the media about Mr Folens.

Ms Folens, in a statement issued yesterday, said: “My husband was never a member of the Gestapo and was never a member of the Nazi party.

“In fact, he absolutely refused to pledge an oath of allegiance to Hitler because he had already pledged an oath of allegiance to the King of Belgium on becoming a teacher.

“If Albert had been wanted for war crimes, it is unlikely that he or I would have retained our identities.”