Mr Dermot Desmond has said he discussed a consultancy post for Mr P.J. Mara at a meeting with the two former Century Radio directors, Mr James Stafford and Mr Oliver Barry, Mr Pat Hanratty SC, for the tribunal, said yesterday.
Mr Stafford, however, has said he was told at the meeting that Century Radio owed Mr Mara £30,000, Mr Hanratty added. According to Mr Oliver Barry, he had been asked about giving Mr Mara a job in Century Radio. "The proposal had been put to Mr Barry to `fix him up with a number out of Century'," Mr Hanratty said.
Mr Mara has said he was seeking between £60,000 and £70,000 per year for the consultancy post and he also wanted stock options. Mr Mara has said he sought advice from Mr Desmond regarding his career change.
Century Radio was not willing to pay that kind of money and to resolve the issue a meeting was called in Mr Desmond's offices, Mr Hanratty said. Mr Desmond chaired the meeting which was attended by Mr Mara, Mr Barry and Mr Stafford.
Mr Mara has said he made his own case for the job at the meeting and was supported by Mr Desmond. Mr Desmond has also denied that he had told Mr Stafford to pay money to Mr Mara in Mr Charles Haughey's house in Kinsealy. Mr Hanratty said the meeting took place in the middle of 1990 when Century Radio was trying to lay off staff. He said the station was in "very severe financial difficulties". He added that the situation was so severe that in the middle of 1990 Mr Barry and Mr Stafford paid staff out of their own pockets. "It is an unlikely time for Century to have been contemplating taking on additional staff or consultancy staff," Mr Hanratty said.