What RTÉ’s Kevin Bakhurst really said on Rory Coveney exit
From his first day in the job, Kevin Bakhurst made it clear that Rory Coveney got some class of a payoff – but he also ducked, dived and dodged providing any figures.
Seven months later, we now know the RTÉ director general gave a golden handshake worth about €200,000 to the executive in charge of Toy Show The Musical, which lost €2.3m.
The payment to Rory Coveney, the brother of Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney, has increased the heat on the RTÉ director general.
Now Mr Bakhurst is citing his answers at a press briefing – on the day he took up the director general’s job – as evidence he did divulge an exit payment to Mr Coveney.
The newly-appointed director general had said earlier in the day that Mr Coveney had “resigned from RTÉ”.
Yet it was quite clear there was a payout attached to this supposed resignation by the RTE director of strategy.
And Mr Bakhurst was given ample opportunity to clarify the matter at the time.
The €2.2m loss at the time has since risen to €2.3m.
Here’s what RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst told the Irish Independent’s Fionnán Sheahan about Rory Coveney’s payoff on July 10, 2023:
Credit to : Irish Independent