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Former RTÉ chief financial officer declines PAC invitation

RTÉ's former chief financial officer Breda O'Keeffe has declined an invitation to appear before PAC
RTÉ's former chief financial officer Breda O'Keeffe has declined an invitation to appear before PAC

RTÉ's former Chief Financial Officer Breda O'Keeffe has declined an invitation to appear before the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee.

She said she had no more to add what she had already said in a statement and in evidence to the Oireachtas Media Committee.

In a letter to the PAC chair, Sinn Fein's Brian Stanley, Ms O'Keeffe said she acknowledges that there was "one discrepancy between my recollection of the RTÉ attitude towards the provision of a then proposed guarantee for one year of the then proposed Renault agreement, but that was my recollection at the time".

She added: "I apologise for my erroneous recollection."

Ms O'Keeffe wrote that she fully participated in Grant Thornton reviews at the media organisation, saying she also "voluntarily spent considerable time and energy" preparing for the committee.

She said: "I have been subjected to unjustified, excessive and intense negative media intrusion in both my personal and professional life.

"This is very stressful to me, and my family and it is unreasonable that this be allowed to continue."

Chair of the RTÉ Board Siún Ní Raghallaigh also informed PAC that she will be unable to attend its next meeting on Thursday.

In a letter to the committee, Ms Ní Raghallaigh wrote: "I wanted to write to you directly to let you know that I will be outside of the country and due to the short notice to attend, I am unable to change my arrangements and therefore I will unfortunately not be able to attend the meeting."