RTÉ: Ryan Tubridy payments — a timeline

Media minister Catherine Martin makes a statement at Government Buildings, Dublin after the RTÉ controversy. 

After days of non-stop pressure on the national broadcaster, RTÉ published a report on Tuesday evening from Grant Thornton into the payment of the two sums to Ryan Tubridy of €75,000 for the years 2021 and 2022.

That report found that RTÉ’s legal team was of the view that the decision to guarantee and underwrite the €75,000 was made by director general Dee Forbes.

In a statement, RTÉ said that "no member of the RTÉ Executive Board, other than the Director General, had all the necessary information in order to understand that the publicly declared figures for Ryan Tubridy could have been wrong”.

However, the Grant Thornton report does not review the circumstances that led to the under-statement of Mr Tubridy’s earnings for the period 2017-19, and these matters will be subject to a separate report.

Here is a timeline of how the saga was outlined covering the period under examination in this initial Grant Thornton report, set out in RTÉ’s statement:

2019 

• In November 2019, RTÉ announced that it wanted to reduce salaries paid to its top contracted on-air presenters by 15% as part of overall cost-cutting measures. As the top-paid presenter, Ryan Tubridy fell very much within this bracket.
• Discussions begin with Mr Tubridy’s agent Noel Kelly and RTÉ to try and agree to terminate his existing contract — running to August 2020 —
  and agree a new contract on reduced terms.
• On December 19, the then-RTÉ chief financial officer sets out a financial proposal that would offset an exit payment due in Mr Tubridy’s previous contract, a 15% cut in fees from RTÉ an makes reference to a possible commercial agreement to the value of €75,000 a year.

2020 

• Negotiations continue on the terms and conditions of the new contract, resulting in an offer made by RTÉ on March 10 of a draft contract
• On March 20, Mr Tubridy’s agent responds and states that RTÉ will guarantee and underwrite the commercial agreement — the aforementioned €75,000 arrangement.
• At a meeting on May 7, RTÉ director general Dee Forbes and an RTÉ solicitor provide a verbal guarantee that RTÉ would underwrite the commercial agreement.
• In late July, an outline of the commercial agreement with Renault is confirmed and communicated to Mr Tubridy’s agent. Mr Kelly then issued an invoice to this commercial partner for €75,000. Due to covid, these “personal appearances” included as part of this commercial arrangement don’t actually take place at this time.

2021 

• On January 20, RTÉ released the earnings of its top 10 most highly paid presenters for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. Further sums paid to Mr Tubridy in those years did feature in this Grant Thornton review.
• In March, Mr Kelly contacts RTÉ looking to meet to discuss the contract. 
• In April, there were “various internal communications” regarding the best way to proceed with the third-party arrangement.
• On December 31, this “tripartite agreement” concludes, ending the commercial deal. There were no additional or follow-on agreements entered into by Mr Tubridy’s agent, Renault or RTÉ.

2022 

• Between January and March, there were communications between RTÉ and Mr Kelly chasing payment on foot of the understanding of the agreement made. Despite Renault taking a step back, RTÉ had a contractual obligation to make two payments of €75,000 for 2021 and 2022.
• Ms Forbes and Mr Kelly discussed the matter on April 25 which resulted in an email request for invoicing details.
• In May and July, an invoice for €75,000 is sent by Mr Tubridy’s agent. Just a few weeks later in each case, RTÉ pays the agent via a British barter account. The description of “consultancy fees” on invoices of €75,000 “on the balance of probabilities […] did not reflect the substance of the transactions”, the Grant Thornton report said.

2023 

• On February 15, RTÉ released the earnings of its top 10 most highly paid presenters for 2020 and 2021. The extra payments to Mr Tubridy are not specified at this time.
• In March, the two €75,000 transactions in the barter account are queried by auditors which in turn prompts RTÉ’s audit risk committee to obtain external legal advice and appoint Grant Thornton.
• On June 21, Ms Forbes was suspended by RTÉ.
• On June 22, the details begin to filter out of these payments prompting a huge public outcry and anger among staff at RTÉ.