Martin denies communicating bailout

MICHEÁL MARTIN has denied any role in the communication of the EU-IMF bailout — putting him at odds with his own party colleague, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan.

Last month, Mr Martin cited the Taoiseach’s poor communication of the bailout to cabinet colleagues as one of the factors that led to him losing confidence in Brian Cowen’s leadership of Fianna Fáil.

“The management of the IMF, the presentation of the IMF coming into the country — that to me was a watershed moment,” Mr Martin said at the time. “Ministers came out, from my information, without the full knowledge of what actually was going on at that time.”