Councillor sues RTÉ for ‘seeking to entrap’ him

A Fine Gael councillor in Galway is suing RTÉ, alleging it sought to entrap him by having an undercover reporter allegedly meet and secretly record him while she posed as an agent for wind energy investors.

Tom McHugh claims RTÉ sought to procure his corruption as a public representative and sought to interfere with the discharge of his responsibilities as a public representative.

He alleges RTÉ caused him, as an elected representative, to expend time and effort in vain, in what he believed to be a public interest.

Mr McHugh claims a woman calling herself Nina Carlsson, purporting to be from Iceland, was in fact employed by RTÉ or was a servant or agent of it when she arranged to meet him on November 2, 2015, at Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, Galway.

He claims she falsely represented she was acting for a company seeking to invest in wind energy in east Galway, abused his good faith and readiness to assist, and covertly recorded her interview with him so RTÉ could use it as it saw fit.

A hotelier, shopkeeper, and builder, of Kilcolgans, Tuam, Co Galway, he claims RTÉ has certain duties under the Broadcasting Acts and is also obliged not to infringe his right to privacy.

The matter was yesterday before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan via an application by RTÉ for further details of the claims. The judge ordered further details be provided of some aspects before RTÉ could file its defence.