In a statement this afternoon, the family of the late Liam Lawlor said they were saddened by what they described as inaccurate, reckless and vindictive coverage on the circumstances of his death by some sections of the media.
The former Fianna Fáil TD was killed in a car accident in Russia yesterday while on a business trip.
The driver of the car was killed and a female passenger, a Ukrainian woman, was injured.
According to diplomatic sources in Moscow, she worked as an interpreter and had accompanied Liam Lawlor to Moscow on a business trip.
Mr Lawlor, who was 61, is expected to be buried on Thursday in Lucan in Co Dublin.
Speaking to RTÉ News, the former chairman of the planning tribunal, Justice Feargus Flood, described Mr Lawlor as a larger than life character who had his own agenda.
Mr Lawlor's eldest son, Niall, arrived in Dublin from his home in New York this morning and flew on to Moscow to bring his father's body home. He was met by officials from the Irish Embassy on his arrival in Moscow.
His family say they are overwhelmed by the kind expressions of sympathy extended to them from home and abroad following his death.
