RTÉ body to discuss documentary’s cocaine claims

THE RTÉ Authority will this week discuss a controversial documentary that backs a claim that a government minister abused cocaine.

The Irish Examiner understands the sensational claim will be raised “for certain” by the nine-member authority when it meets on Thursday amid continuing doubts over the report’s authenticity.

While individual programmes are not usually discussed by the authority, the contentious High Society documentary on cocaine use in Ireland — and the doubts about some of its more extraordinary claims — will be raised at the end of the meeting under “any other business”.

It is understood there is grave concern surrounding the new information about the interview, especially given the gravity of the claim that a minister has snorted cocaine.

It follows the revelation this weekend that no taped interview exists with a minister who claims to be a regular cocaine user.

RTÉ admitted to The Sunday Tribune that the interview conducted by presenter Justine Delaney Wilson with “Robert” the Politician — a person whom Ms Delaney Wilson claimed was a minister in the accompanying book published by Gill and MacMillan — was done in writing and was not recorded in audio.

The new information raises questions about the credibility of the claims.

A spokesman for RTÉ said yesterday that the national broadcaster’s earlier responses to media queries about the authenticity of the interviews were neither misleading nor were intended to mislead.

Until it admitted this weekend that the purported interview with the politician was based on written notes, RTÉ had not specifically revealed that any of the interviews were other than tape-recorded.

In response to a specific question about why it had not described “Robert” as a minister, the broadcaster, in standing over the claim, stated that it had “access to the body of material gathered by Ms Delaney Wilson, including listening to taped interview material”.

RTÉ maintained yesterday that those comments were not designed to convey the impression that the interview with the politician was taped, saying they referred to the information on which the entire series was based.

RTÉ could not say how many of the 12 interviews Ms Delaney Wilson conducted with people from different professions were based on notes rather than on tapes.

This weekend, drugs minister Pat Carey told RTÉ that it should “put up or shut up”.

He said there was no reason why it should continue to withhold information about a criminal act from the gardaí.

He added he did not believe the claims.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has refused to question individual ministers about alleged cocaine use on the basis that the claims are based on an interview that is anonymous, unverified and nigh unverifiable.

There were suggestions yesterday from government circles that the latest revelation strongly bolsters the Taoiseach’s argument.