Terence O’Rourke is expected to be appointed as the new chairman of the board of crisis-hit broadcaster RTE.
On the advice of Media Minister Catherine Martin, O’Rourke’s appointment was approved by coalition leaders on Monday afternoon. It will be announced, along with two other new board appointments, following Cabinet approval on Tuesday. Co Monaghan, is a former managing spouse of KPMG and current chairman of ESB.
This comes after former board chairman Siun Ni Raghallaigh criticised Martin, saying he still had no option to give up last week after a “forced dismissal”.
He also criticised the minister for “not intervening” in the RTE scandal and accused her of contributing to the fall in TV licence revenues.
Ni Raghallaigh resigned from his position on the station’s board of directors hours after Martin expressed his sadness to him in a live television interview.
In her Prime Time appearance on 22 February, the minister refused to explicitly trust Ni Raghallaigh, having been misinformed about the president’s role in approving the exit plan of former RTE CFO Richard Collins.
The minister was criticized for her handling of the situation, with opposition DTs claiming that she had fired the president live.
In a statement, Ni Raghallaigh said: “If the minister was no longer looking for me as president, that is her privilege.
“However, I cannot remain silent about the conditions of my forced dismissal, which was intended to denigrate my reputation. “
However, Ms Martin responded by stating that she will be able to count on “clear, timely and accurate information” from the former chair of RTE’s board of directors.
He added: “We are precisely at such a complicated moment in RTE’s history. “
Commenting on the new appointments, Ms Martin said: “RTE will take a step forward when it seeks government approval for the appointment of a new chairman and new board members.
“Following my appointment, I will try to meet with the new president and leader in the coming days. “
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