RTÉ pay controversy: The most basic fact remains unknown after RTÉ's latest statement, writes Arthur Beesley. Why did it publish misleading figures for years about Tubridy’s pay?
But his fundamental conclusion is clear enough: “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.”
Not only was the Tubridy deal with Renault Ireland “cost neutral” to the car company, the State broadcaster turns out to have borne an additional €30,586 for the costs of delayed commercial sponsor events in 2022 for which Tubridy received €75,000 in 2020. The actual cost recorded in RTÉ's barter account was €47,477.
“On the balance of probabilities, the description on the invoices, ‘consultancy fees’ did not reflect the substance of the transactions,” Jacobs states. The forensic accountant goes on say “the talent agent did not provide consultancy” and “the talent did not provide consultancy”. “In response to sharing extracts of this report with the director general, the director general is of the view that I should find that there was no particular significance to the use of the term ‘consultancy fees’ on the invoices raised by the talent’s agent, and further that there was commercial sensitivity and commercial brand confidentiality that arose in respect of these invoices,” Jacobs says.
“The director general verbally agreed to underwrite the terms of the commercial arrangement. Present at this meeting was the director general, two representatives of the agent and the RTÉ solicitor,” says Lynch. Such instructions were received when the arrangements “had already been negotiated and agreed, and to which the commercial director was not party”.
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