Newspaper denies ‘false memo’ claims

THE Sunday Tribune newspaper has denied claims it published a story about the insurance company, Quinn Group, based on a false memo.

The billionaire managing director of the company, Sean Quinn, has vehemently denied the newspaper’s allegations that his company employed gardaí to investigate claims.

In an open letter published in several national newspapers this week Mr Quinn also vehemently denied claims his insurance group had bribed claimants’ solicitors.

In the letter Mr Quinn also said a memo — used by the newspaper to support their allegations — was a forgery.

“It appears that the sole supporting evidence of these alleged practices was a memo purporting to be an official company document written by (general manager) Kevin Lunney,” Mr Quinn wrote in the open letter.

However, the Sunday Tribune’s editor yesterday stood over the allegations published in last week’s edition.

Editor Noirín Hegarty, speaking to the Irish Examiner, backed the article as well as the memo’s authenticity.

“We believe our story. We don’t believe the memo’s forged,” she said.

Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy has ordered an inquiry into the Sunday newspaper’s allegations.

It is believed the newspaper does not intend to issue an apology about the allegations this weekend.

Solicitors for the Sean Quinn Group contacted editor Noirín Hegarty on Monday following the allegations, outlining several reasons why it claimed the memo was not authentic.

The Sean Quinn Group has begun legal proceedings against the Sunday newspaper. In his open letter Ireland’s richest man stated he wanted to assure staff, customers and the public of the highest ethical standards in the group.