The Oireachtas media committee has heard that RTÉ spent over €6,000 on Robbie Williams tickets for.
During the hearing it was also revealed that thousands of euro had been spent on Bruce Springsteen tickets, IRFU tickets, flights and accommodation, with approximately 5,000 being spent on flip flops for a staff party.
Earlier today it was reported that Ryan Tubridy and talent agent Noel Kelly had agreed to appear before the committee next week.
Deputy Imelda Munster accused the RTÉ board of using barter accounts to raise “false invoices” in order to ‘funnel secret payments’.
Describing the practice as “sneaky” and “underhand” she accused RTÉ of engaging in false accountancy with “full knowledge” that payments marked as consultancy fees were in fact intended for disgraced presenter Ryan Tubridy.
Munster asked Commercial Director Geraldine O’Leary why she had taken her “hubby” to work related events including concerts paid for by ‘taxpayer’s money’.
She accused the board of having “utter contempt” for the committee.
TD Mattie McGrath called for the ‘fraud squad’ to investigate the actions of RTÉ describing the ‘drip feed’ of information about the payment scandal as “insulting” to the committee and the Irish people.
In her opening statement board chair Siún Nī Raghallaigh said she was “deeply unhappy” with the lack of provision of information from board members saying that the information provided cannot be relied upon.
Asked if she had confidence in the RTÉ executive she said that she was unable to provide a “blanket yes or no” as the executive was composed of a diverse array of people.
She described the ongoing scandal as the “darkest period in RTÉ’s history,”
Former RTÉ Chief Financial Officer Breda O’Keefe took issue with previous statements made by current CFO Richard Collins who claimed he had not been briefed about the special financial arrangements made for the benefit of Tubridy.
O’Keefe said that Collins had come into the office in January of 2020 and that the current CFO had claimed he took over the role on the 17th of January 2021
She said that Collins was made aware of the progression of the Tubridy contract deal.
She said that Ryan Tubridy’s 2015 -2020 contract included a €120,000 ‘exit fee’ on completion of its five year term which she said RTÉ was trying to negotiate a way around.
O’Keefe said that she had not been contacted by anyone from RTÉ after her departure in March 2020 nor had she been asked to contribute to the Grant Thornton report.