Last night, RTE was under pressure to give Gardaí access to its books when the Rural Independent group announced: “Bring in the fraud squad,” reports The Mirror.
Mattie McGrath TD called on Justice Minister Helen McEntee to lead the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau to investigate senior management at RTE for “potential fraud”.
It follows a week of disclosures, including €345,000 in secret payments to Ryan Tubridy to boost his salary, and a separate €1.25 million “kickback fund” used for RTE garbage and benefits.
Deputy McGrath said of this week’s Oireachtas hearings: “The slow release of information revealed a culture of secrecy… I hold serious doubts about the upcoming committee meeting’s ability to reveal the complete truth to the public. The absence of the main figure at the centre of this controversy [Dee Forbes] prevents the full story from being told. Involving the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau is the only way to ensure accountability and transparency for the public,” reports The Mirror.
Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster, who sits on both committees, said evidence of “Celtic Tiger type splurging” on the state broadcaster was heard in both hearings.
She added: “After nine hours of committee hearings, the only thing they revealed were the levels of disregard which senior individuals within RTE spend taxpayers’ money. Plenty of perks and top ups for some of the very top and then cuts for everybody else within the organisation. The reputation of RTE is in tatters because of a few and the public are not going to accept that,” reports The Mirror.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.