Two Senators say RTÉ claimed they had not declared interest ‘as film directors’

Independent Senator David Norris has condemned what he called the "squalid methods" used by RTÉ in its investigative documentary on standards in public office, which he claimed he was subjected to.

Both Mr Norris and Fine Gael Senator Paul Coghlan received letters from the RTÉ Investigates programme about not declaring they were film directors. Mr Norris received a handwritten letter that was "like something from the Gestapo", which claimed he had "transgressed ethics by failing to disclose that I was a director of a film company".

He said: “I never heard of that company, never signed anything, never received any reports and never got notice of meetings.” He added: “I was blissfully unaware of the situation and I made that clear to these people within 24 hours”, but they never apologised.

It was disgraceful the national broadcaster “allowed these tactics” to be used. “I condemn utterly corruption but I also condemn the squalid methods employed by RTÉ in the making of that programme.”

He described as disgusting the “sly compliant wink of the man from Donegal and the scrabbling movements of Cllr [Hugh] McElvaney when he was trousering and jacketing what he described as loads of money”. Corruption had to be condemned but “if one is going to take the high moral position, if one is going to lay down the law about morals and if one is going to investigate people, then one also needs certain standards”.

Mr Coghlan said he also received a letter from the programme makers, claiming he had breached the Standards in Public Office and Ethics Act by being a film director.