“RTÉ wishes to clarify that, contrary to a number of media reports today regarding RTÉ’s prior knowledge of the details relating to payments to Ryan Tubridy, these are not new revelations:
- The email referred to (from RTÉ’s former Chief Financial Officer to the Chair of the Board of RTÉ) was a preliminary internal review. This was then forwarded to Grant Thornton to conduct a formal fact-based review (Grant Thornton II).
- It was on the basis of this email that the facts relating to RTÉ payments to Ryan Tubridy were established in the second Grant Thornton Review. It was not concealed, it was central to this review by Grant Thornton to establish the facts.
- This second Grant Thornton Review was made public once completed and provided to both Committees.
- The email had not been formally requested by the Public Accounts Committee at the time the question was raised by Deputy Alan Dillon as to why it hadn’t been provided. Furthermore, the second Grant Thornton Review had already commenced at that stage.
- RTÉ has provided hundreds of documents and emails to both the Public Accounts Committee and the Joint Oireachtas Committee to date and remains in contact with both Committees.”
ENDS