Tag Archives: Denis O’Brien

A case taken by former INM executive Karl Brophy (above) over his dismissal last April as the company’s corporate affairs director has been settled this evening.

Mr Brophy had claimed INM’s largest shareholder Denis O’Brien was behind his dismissal and claimed it was unlawful.

He said he was told his continued employment would be ‘problematic’ because of coverage about O’Brien and the Moriarty Tribunal at that time in INM titles.

He also alleged that he was told he was deemed to be too close to former CEO Gavin O’Reilly – who stepped down last April.

But this evening the case was struck out after the High Court heard the two parties had resolved their differences.

Mr Brophy said he accepted that, in relation to his dismissal, O’Brien had ‘no hand, act of part in that decision’.

However, before Ms Justice Mary Laffoy ended the hearing, the court heard evidence from the newly-appointed INM Chief Operating Officer Vincent Crowley – who took over from Gavin O’Reilly earlier this year.

RTE reports:

Mr Crowley told the court that for some time before his departure, Mr (Gavin) O’Reilly and Mr Brophy were working to try to back up Mr O’Reilly’s view that Mr O’Brien had significant non-performing borrowings with the former Anglo Irish Bank and he was therefore effectively funded by the Irish taxpayer (as Anglo had been nationalised).

The two men put a significant amount of time and effort, which was ultimately unsuccessful, into looking into this allegation so that it could be put into the public domain, Mr Crowley said.

Ultimately unsuccessful, eh?

So, do you know how much Denis owes Anglo?

Lines close at midnight.

Previously: Denis O’Brien, Dividends And Paying Back Anglo

And thus endeth Ireland’s most expensive grudge.

Leslie Buckley, the man behind that editorial interference.

Among four Denis O’Brien-approved directors (also including Lucy Gaffney and Paul Connolly below) appointed to the INM board this morning.

Buckley, who was kicked off the board last year, returns as chairman.

He fixed Haiti.

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

Sam Smyth writes:

…I received the first letter from Today FM raising the issue of ending the programme on March 22nd, 2011, the same day that the final report of the Moriarty tribunal was unexpectedly published.

…I asked Mr [Willie] O’Reilly (right) about the status of the letter; he said that it was “as if it hadn’t been written”.

I also spoke to Mr O’Reilly about Denis O’Brien (left) writing to me at my home threatening to sue me personally.

When the controversy over the publishing of the Moriarty tribunal subsided in late summer last year, Mr O’Reilly resurrected the prospect of dropping the Sam Smyth on Sunday programme. The station was doing root and branch change in programming, he said.

Sam Smyth on Sunday was dropped in October last year. It was the only major change in programming on Today FM.

Smyth’s Departure From Today FM (Sam Smyth, irish Times Letters)

Within days of the sacking Willie O’Reilly resigned from Today FM to join RTE in the newly-created position of commercial director. Sam Smyth was replaced by Anton Savage.

(Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

That storm you ordered.

And how plausible is it that the removal of Sam Smyth from a Sunday morning radio programme on Today FM, which Denis O’Brien controls, and his ostracisation now within the Irish Independent to which he is contracted (not one article by him has been published for some months), isn’t part of the same campaign which Denis O’Brien and Leslie Buckley, conducted against Sam Smyth in 2010?

Denis O’Brien has said he does not control INM. However, given his interference in editorial matters in INM, in contradiction of the principles he himself has enunciated, even aside from the findings of the Moriarty tribunal against him, I do not believe Denis O’Brien is a fit person to be allowed control the country’s second most powerful media enterprise.

 

Gulp.

Why I Think O’Brien Is Not A Fit Person To Control INM (Vincent Browne, Irish Times)

(Laura Hutton, Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

 

From Politico.ie:

The correspodence was initiated by Denis O’Brien in a letter dated June 21 addressing an Irish Times article and broadcasts in which Vincent Browne refers to Denis O’Brien’s media interests and the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal.

 

There’s FOUR more pages of this [Redacted} utter [Yikes} steaming, self-obsessed, pile of bladder-***** [Is That Even A Word?} gooey entrails of [Ah Here] at the link below.

Correspondence Between Denis O’Brien And Vincent Browne (Politico.ie)

And Vincent’s response:

Previously: A Boy Named Sue

(Thanks MK)

Frankly?

Bizarre.

That BAI board in full:  Bob Collins (Chairman), Larry Bass, Paula Downey, Professor Colum Kenny, Michelle Mc Shortall, Dr Maria Moloney, Michael Moriarty, Siobhán Ní Ghadhra and John Waters.

BAI Statement On The Media Interests Of Denis O’Brien (BAI)

No Action To Be Taken On O’Brien Interests (RTE)

(Forbes)

 

“In their substantive actions, the consortia have alleged fraud, conspiracy, deceit, corruption and misfeasance in public office in relation to the mobile licence award.”

Unsuccessful Bidders Can Challenge Esat Award, Court Rules (RTE)

Court Clears Way For Esat Action (Irish Times)

Previously: But What Does All This Mean?

(Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

Positively statesmanlike.

“You know listen Greece is like a sideshow. It doesn’t mean anything. Greece is such a small economy. It’s not even an export-based economy. It’s a great place to go on holiday. Who cares if Greece goes out of the euro? Let them set up their Drachma again and go back to how they’ve been running their economy for the last 60 years. The whole Greek thing is a distraction to the Council of Ministers, to the European Commission, to the ECB. They should cut it and run and say listen ‘You’re on your own’.”

 

 Denis O’Brien shares his thoughts with Bloomberg yesterday.

Watch here.