Fianna Fail TD Ms Beverley Cooper-Flynn told the High Court yesterday she would not accept that offshore investment policies she sold while working for National Irish Bank proved to be a disaster for customers.
She said she had made no inquiries of customers and did not know whether the policies she sold were successful. As far as she was aware, they did work out, but she could only speak for her own customers.
Asked why people who had bought offshore policies from National Irish Bank had paid substantial sums to the Revenue Commissioners, she said she had sold to individuals and these policies worked very effectively. She could not confirm whether people to whom she sold policies made payments to the Revenue.
E broadcasts concerning her and the sale of investment products. Everyone was talking about it, she said. She felt the Taoiseach had mentioned an RTE broadcast to her in a questioning way and there was an element of doubt in his mind. She had responded to him: "Look, I did not do it."
Yesterday was the third day of Ms Cooper-Flynn's action alleging libel against RTE, journalist Charlie Bird, and a retired farmer, Mr James Howard.
The TD claims she was libelled in RTE broadcasts in June and July 1998 and that words used on the programmes meant she had instigated a scheme whose object was the evasion of the lawful payment of tax. The defendants deny she was libelled.
Yesterday, under cross-examination by Mr Kevin Feeney SC, for RTE and Mr Bird, she was referred to part of the 1999 annual report of the Comptroller and Auditor General which related to offshore investments via NIB.
The report extract stated that, following media revelations about tax evasion by Irish residents who invested in the NIB offshore investment scheme, the bank had provided Revenue with details of 429 individuals involved. By July 24th, 2000, settlements were reached in 232 cases totalling £12,435,107. In addition, payments on account totalling £6,974,323 were received in respect of other unresolved cases.
Mr Feeney asked why those sums were paid. Ms Cooper-Flynn said they were a matter for each customer.
E about giving out information about the CMI scheme. Asked if she was suggesting that, in June and July 1998, RTE could have solved the problem relating to its broadcasts about her by a simple phone call to NIB, Ms Cooper-Flynn said she was.
Ms Cooper-Flynn said that, following the earlier RTE broadcast relating to her, she felt the station was going to say there was some mistake or misunderstanding.
What RTE broadcast was "the talk of the place" in Co Mayo, she said. She got a lot of phone calls of support from friends and supporters but, in the streets, "people were looking at me". ail, it was "the talk of the place" and she was very aware of it.
After she issued a statement on June 29th, 1998, she could not understand why RTE did not retract its story. Over the next number of days, she had no communication from RTE.
There was another broadcast by RTE on July 1st, 1998, which included an interview with Mr Howard and his daughter, Marina.
In a radio interview on that date, Mr Howard had said he had telephoned Ms Cooper-Flynn saying he "wanted to take it (the investment) back" because he was not satisfied. Ms Cooper-Flynn said she never received a phone call from Mr Howard. She saw Marina on TV but she had no memory of meeting her. She knew clearly she had not sold Mr Howard a personal portfolio.
Ms Cooper-Flynn said her solicitor sent a letter to RTE seeking a retraction, denial and apology and costs to be discharged, with a contribution to a charity of her choice. E to clarify the position and state she had not sold a Personal Portfolio to Mr Howard. If they had done that, she would have been happy.
A letter was sent to Mr Howard asking if he was prepared to make a public apology. She also sought an undertaking from him that he would not repeat his allegations and would discharge her legal costs. If she had received a simple letter of apology, she would have "walked away".
Ms Cooper-Flynn said the RTE broadcasts had had a devastating effect on her. On one occasion, the Taoiseach had taken her aside and said that while he himself had not seen the programme, he understood two people (Mr Howard and his daughter) had appeared on the broadcast.
She felt the Taoiseach had mentioned it to her in a sort of questioning way and she felt there was an element of doubt in his mind. She told him: "Look, I did not do it."
The story seemed to have been "killed off" when Michael Noonan in an interview was asked what he thought of the Beverley Cooper-Flynn and NIB situation. His response was: "If she was not a politician, her name would never have been mentioned."
Ms Cooper-Flynn said the only thing she was ever interested in was to clear her name. Every "scribble and note" she had made over her seven years in NIB, she estimated there were about 10,000 documents, had been given over to RTE, she added.
The hearing continues today.