The chairman and chief executive of Campus and Stadium Ireland (CSID), Mr Paddy Teahon, last night repeated his assertion that there was "no wrong-doing" in his handling of the national aquatic centre contract and said he would not be resigning.
Mr Teahon told the Public Accounts Committee he should have made clear at all stages that Waterworld UK, part of the consortium which won the contract, was a dormant company with no track record in operating an aquatic centre, and he said he regretted any embarrassment the revelation had caused.
But he insisted many of the recent criticisms were based on "ill-informed" media reports and public misunderstanding.
In a statement to the committee he said: "My communication on the matter was inadequate. I have accepted that and I am prepared to accept that I made a misjudgment in not giving fuller reports and informations. I will not accept, however, any suggestion, from any source, that my actions were designed with any dishonest or improper motivation in mind."
Mr Teahon said comments by Labour Party TD, Mr Pat Rabbitte, suggested on the basis that key figures behind the operating company were from Tralee, that he was involved "in a conspiracy to divert public money to people on no basis other than that they were from Kerry". "There is an implication that I knew these people and was somehow involved in a conspiracy with them. I want to put it on record that I did not know any of the three people before they became involved in the project.
"I have never met any of them. I have no connection with any of their families."
Mr Teahon said he did not tell the panel assessing bidders for the contract, or any of the Government Departments or agencies involved, that the company was dormant. "In my judgment what one looks for in such cases is adequate evidence of the bona fides, capabilities and financial strength of the people involved in the company." In reply to questioning by Fine Gael TD, Mr Bernard Durkan, whether he had considered the embarrassment he could have caused the Taoiseach if the decision had to be reversed, he said he had not.
Mr Teahon hinted strongly in his statement at the time pressures he was under.
"When the Government decided in July of 2000 to include an aquatic centre in the campus, it was clear to us that if we were to reach the target of hosting the Special Olympics in the summer of 2003, we would have to have the aquatic centre ready, functioning and tested, well before that date.
"In order to achieve that, we set ourselves the first target of applying for planning permission before the end of 2000."