Three events hosted by Ryan Tubridy for Renault in 2022 cost RTÉ €22,000 more than the broadcaster previously stated.
The events took place in Cork, Dublin and Louth between March and May 2022.
Last week, RTÉ said it spent €47,477 through its barter account to cover the cost of the events.
Records shared with Oireachtas Media Committee on Wednesday and analysed by Prime Time show that the actual costs were almost €70,000.
RTÉ agreed to pay for the staging of the Renault events as part of the three-party deal with the company and Mr Tubridy.
The cost of building a 'mini-Late Late' set for use in dealership showrooms was not included in the previous total published by RTÉ.
Some €14,500 was paid for the construction of the set. As the spending was put through a barter account which carries fees and extra deductions for cash payments, the actual cost to RTÉ was recorded at €22,306.
A spokesperson for RTÉ told Prime Time the cost of the set build was 'accidentally omitted from the figure quoted in the nine-page RTÉ statement'.
The entries in the account also show RTÉ paid for an employee of Mr Tubridy’s agent to be chauffeured to one of the events at a cost of €874.
A further €890 was deducted from the barter account for hotel accommodation for three people, one of whom was listed as a person who ‘received no payment.’
This is understood to be a reference to an RTÉ employee who worked on the events.
The actual hotel spending was €568, but as the payments were made through the barter account, they resulted in an additional 35% deduction from the balance in the account.
The spending on each individual event is itemised separately as €13,300, €15,900 and €16,400.
Prime Time previously reported that RTÉ paid the cost of staging, event management and hospitality. Notes on the barter account provided to the Oireachtas Committee say that included furniture and branding.
Video posted online from one of the events showed guests enjoying cocktails, access to a bar and a selection of canapés served by waiting staff. No RTÉ branding is visible in the footage.
The events are described in one entry in the account as an ‘RTÉ Renault Late Late roadshow.’
Guests at the events included a former Irish rugby international, several GAA stars, a League of Ireland soccer manager, a well-known actor and several comedians.
Footage shows them being interviewed on the stage built in the dealership’s showroom by Mr Tubridy.
The cost of the events was covered by RTÉ under the terms of the three-party agreement between Renault and Mr Tubridy.
Payments made under the deal through the barter account were flagged as concerning by RTÉ’s auditors in March, sparking a chain of events that has engulfed the broadcaster in the biggest crisis in its history.
It has since become clear that RTÉ signed up to the agreement under which its income from Renault was reduced by €75,000 per year, Renault agreed to pay Mr Tubridy the €75,000 instead, while Mr Tubridy agreed to host three events for Renault.
RTÉ also agreed to underwrite the payments to Mr Tubridy, in the event that Renault withdrew from the agreement, which it did after one year.
Furthermore, it agreed to pay for the staging of the events as Renault wanted the agreement to be ‘cost-neutral’ - in other words, no more expensive than the otherwise-agreed sponsorship deal.
RTÉ also didn’t declare in its published list of top ten earners that it had guaranteed or paid Mr Tubridy the additional income.
Accountants were commissioned by the RTÉ Board to investigate the organisation’s decisions in relation to the agreement. They found no suggestion of wrongdoing on behalf of Renault or Ryan Tubridy.
On foot of details emerging about the three-party deal, RTÉ’s use of the barter account and a number of other matters, Minister for Media Catherine Martin has announced a ‘root and branch’ examination of RTÉ.
Additional reporting from Barry Cummins and Mark Coughlan
