The Chairman of Bord na gCon, Paschal Taggart, has again defied the Minister for Sport by speaking to the media about the problems in the greyhound industry.
Mr Taggart appeared on last night's Prime Time programme on RTÉ, despite an appeal by the minister, John O'Donoghue, for everyone involved to desist from public comment until a report on the problems is published.
Mr Taggart strongly defended his position on the programme and said he had been an exceptionally good chairman.
In February, Mr Taggart went ahead with a news conference despite being asked by Mr O'Donoghue not to do so.
The difficulties at Bord na gCon were reported by RTÉ News last January when it gave details about the sacking of its Chief Executive Aidan Tynan after he wrote to the minister about the failure to publish drug tests on greyhounds.
Prime Time said it had seen a copy of the report on the affair which has been carried out by a retired senior civil servant, Tim Dalton.
His report has not yet been formally issued but it has been widely leaked.
Mr Taggart strongly defended his position on the programme.
He insisted it is wrong to suggest that Mr Tynan’s dismissal could be put down to the fact that he wrote to the minister as the relationship between the board and the former chief executive had deteriorated before that.
Mr Taggart also disagreed with the reported finding that Mr Tynan did not get natural justice.
He said grievance procedures do not apply to chief executives because they deal directly with the board and the chairman in any commercial organisation.
Mr Taggart said he stood over his decision not to publish the findings of some doping tests, and he rejected suggestions that he had a conflict of interests regarding one of the trainer's involved.
Asked about his defiance of the minister, Mr Taggart said he was going public in order to protect his integrity and the integrity of the board.
