Counsel for RTE has claimed at the High Court that Ms Beverley Cooper-Flynn TD was aware that money which a man will claim he brought to her to invest was undeclared.
The man, Mr Gary Skelton, a witness subpoenaed by RTE, will also claim Ms Cooper-Flynn had told him an offshore investment policy was perfectly secure and she had sold one to her father, the former European Commissioner, Mr Padraig Flynn, the court was told.
The TD said yesterday she had no recollection of having any such meeting and had certainly not said the product was so safe she had sold one to her father. She disagreed that she knew the money referred to was undeclared. She did not recall dealing in cash.
Mr Kevin Feeney SC, for RTE and journalist Charlie Bird, said Mr Skelton, a flooring contractor, will claim Ms Cooper-Flynn was present when he brought money to National Irish Bank's offices at Harbour master Place, the International Financial Services Centre, in Dublin, in the mid-1990s. Counsel said the money had to be counted and Mr Skelton has a receipt for the cash bearing the former NIB employee's signature.
The President of the High Court, Mr Justice Morris, directed the receipt should be produced when Ms Cooper-Flynn's action alleging libel in a series of RTE programmes resumes on Tuesday.
Mr Feeney said Mr Skelton will say that Ms Cooper-Flynn, in her "puff" to sell him an offshore investment policy, had told him the product was perfectly secure and she had sold one to her father.
The TD said she could not recall having such a meeting with Mr Skelton at Harbour master Place and had certainly not said the product was so safe that she had sold one to her father. While she recalled dealing with Mr Skelton, she believed she had only met him once, in the Donnybrook branch of NIB.
Mr Feeney said Mr Skelton would say he met her twice at her offices in Harbourmaster Place. Ms Cooper-Flynn said she could not recall this.
Counsel said Mr Skelton would say he told Ms Cooper-Flynn he had a few pounds to invest, that the money was not stolen or drugs money, and had asked, if he invested, whether anyone would know about it or whether it could be traced.
Ms Cooper-Flynn said she could not recall him asking that. Neither did she recall him asking, as suggested by counsel, that if he wished to get the money back, whether this could be done in any way he wanted, in a brown paper bag, cash or otherwise.
When Mr Feeney put to her that Mr Skelton had returned to Harbourmaster Place on the second occasion, bringing with him money, in cheques and in cash, Ms Flynn said she could not remember this.
Neither could she recall going out of the room to get a sterling value so that Mr Skelton might know how much he had available to invest or giving a receipt to Mr Skelton for the money.
Mr Feeney said it was not a question of lack of recall. It was a question of whether she was telling the truth.
Ms Cooper-Flynn said if she remembered it, she would have been able to recall it.
Asked whether she could have any doubt but that she would have known she was clearly dealing with "hot" money, Ms Flynn said she did not agree she knew the money was undeclared. She simply did not remember the meeting. Cash was not a way in which she did business.
Counsel put to the TD that she had misled and lied to the jury. Ms Cooper-Flynn said this was not the case, she had come to court to tell the truth. She did not remember dealing in cash.