THIS morning's Irish Times says that I have refused to attend the meeting of the board of the company scheduled for next Monday. This is not the case.

Yesterday I asked the chairman, Mr Dineen, if it would be possible to change the meeting to Tuesday next because I had a prior engagement on Monday. The chairman wrote to me twice yesterday afternoon on this point, culminating in a demand that I respond in writing confirming by agreement to attend.

I found this off putting and offensive given that I had only requested that the meeting be changed if that was possible. However, given the spin in this morning's Irish Times, I now understand why this particular cameo arose, I have referred before to half truths and innuendo. The fable of Eddie O'Connor becomes ever more sensational. The public is now being told that this man who they have been deliberately and dishonestly encouraged to believe earned £2 million over nine years, was somehow going to duck out of a meeting to consider his position. Well, he is not.

This meeting will be the fifth special board meeting called to investigate me. I have attended each one and I have never broken the confidentiality that attaches to the meetings of the board.

The chairman, Mr Dineen, has said I have done nothing wrong. He has said the Price Waterhouse report was exaggerated. For weeks he told us that Brendan Halligan would hold the key to the veracity of my position. Brendan Halligan attended the past board meeting on Wednesday. He spent two hours giving his version of events. Following that meeting Mr Dineen issued a statement which merely referenced Mr Halligan's attendance. Why did Mr Dineen not address what Mr Halligan told the board?

I have tried to conduct myself in a dignified and proper manner throughout this bizarre episode. I will be attending Monday's board meeting. If Mr Dineen had had the courtesy to give me 24 hours to re arrange my schedule on Monday, I would have been advising him of that privately this morning.

June 21, 1996