RTÉ should face garda probe over finances - Donnelly 

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said: 'A submission will have to go to the gardaí, I would imagine that will happen, and then obviously it will be for the gardaí to take a look into that.' Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The Government has questioned the legality of payments made to Ryan Tubridy, with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly saying gardaí should now be called in.

After a bruising week for the broadcaster, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he cannot rule out the possibility that some payments at RTÉ were "on the wrong side of the law".

While Mr Varadkar stopped short of calling for a garda investigation, Stephen Donnelly said gardaí should be notified of any alleged financial fraud at the broadcaster.

“A submission will have to go to the gardaí, I would imagine that will happen, and then obviously it will be for the gardaí to take a look into that," he said.

He had been asked if a more in-depth inquiry — apart from the proposed review by Media Minister Catherine Martin — should take place and involve gardaí.

Mr Donnelly said the terms of reference of Ms Martin’s review have not yet been signed off, but he has no doubt she will present terms "that are sufficient to address the issues that have raised”.

It is understood that Catherine Martin has requested a meeting with RTÉ chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh and incoming Director General Kevin Bakhurst in the coming days about the Government's planned external review, plans for the reconstitution of the executive board, the Grant Thornton review, and engagement with RTÉ staff.

Invites for executives

Oireachtas Committee The Oireachtas Media Committee wants to discuss the issue with executives and former executives of RTÉ. The committee has extended invites to the board and executive of RTÉ as well as former Director General Noel Curran, former chief financial officer Breda O'Keeffe and former chair of the RTÉ Board Moya Doherty.

The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Brian Stanley said  he fully intends to compel former RTÉ director Dee Forbes, Mr Tubridy, and his agent Noel Kelly to attend his committee — assuming they won’t do so voluntarily — telling Newstalk he believes “we’ve a strong enough hand to do it”.

Mr Varadkar, speaking in Brussels, said that he does not want to assume that anything illegal has occurred at RTÉ, but said it is possible.

I don't think we can rule out the fact that it's not just a case of irregular payments, that some of these payments may have been on the wrong side of the law. But I don't want to jump to that conclusion.

He said "going forward" there is an issue with how RTÉ manages its accounts in terms of separating public and commercial income.

"It did concern me to hear that payments were — or it would appear anyway — that payments were made by RTÉ to outside contractors for work that wasn't actually done. That does raise issues in terms of accounting rules, and company law. But I think we're not yet at that point."

RTÉ chiefs will be asked to outline its top 100 earners, a ten-year overview of a so-called "slush fund" and the full deal with new Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty when they come before the Oireachtas again next week. Politicians have also asked for any benefits accrued by RTÉ personnel from commercial partners.

Calls from NUJ

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists has called for Ryan Tubridy and former RTE director general Dee Forbes to appear before the Public Accounts Committee in connection with the ongoing payments scandal.

After a meeting of the NUJ’s broadcasting branch, called to discuss the seismic fallout from the scandal on Friday, Seamus Dooley, secretary of the NUJ, said the voices of ordinary RTÉ workers need to be heard in the coming external review of RTE’s corporate governance.

He said that Mr Tubridy, Ms Forbes, and director of content Jim Jennings should be called before PAC, and that Mr Tubridy’s agent Noel Kelly, who negotiated the contract by which Mr Tubridy received €75,000 per year in undisclosed payments, should also appear.

Mr Dooley said, however, that he did not call for a regime change at RTÉ.