Communications to Denis O’Brien from Leslie Buckley

Controversial emails cover sensitive INM topics

5.28pm, March 3rd, 2016
Buckley emails O'Brien that INM's annual results "will become public" at 7am the next morning. "It is the first time in eight years that INM has been able to announce group revenue growth, albeit only 0.8 per cent," he says.

8.59pm, August 25th, 2016
Buckley emails O'Brien a note to be published the following morning by Davy, the company's stockbroker, stating that INM's share price is undervalued. He tells O'Brien that "it will be interesting to see whether the share price improves as a result".

10.28am, September 1st, 2016
Buckley's personal assistant emails O'Brien a press release to be issued the following day announcing INM's purchase of the Celtic Media Group, a regional newspaper group.

6.20pm, November 9th, 2016
Buckley's PA emails O'Brien a public announcement to be made to the stock market the following day about a capital restructuring of INM to strengthen the media company's financial position.

10.07am, November 12th, 2016
Buckley forwards to O'Brien an email he received from his public relations adviser Nigel Heneghan detailing a private conversation Eoghan Ó Neachtain, the director of public affairs at Heneghan's PR firm, had with Minister for Communications Denis Naughten about his plan to refer the proposed Celtic Media Group takeover to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

5.21pm, November 25th, 2016
Buckley's PA emails O'Brien "on a strictly private and confidential basis" a copy of a presentation he made to an INM subcommittee about his internal row with the company's chief executive Robert Pitt along with queries sent by The Irish Times about the dispute.

7.50pm, November 28th, 2016
Buckley's PA emails O'Brien a list of queries sent by The Irish Times to INM that he says the board has deemed to be "price sensitive information and must be disclosed to the markets without delay". Attached to the email is a copy of a statement to be issued to the stock market the following day at 7am.

7.41pm, December 12th, 2016
Buckley emails O'Brien a statement just issued by INM on its response to controversial cuts to the pensions of current and former staff, telling him he had incorporated his "suggestions" and thanking him "for your assistance on this".

7.36pm, January 12th, 2017
Buckley texts O'Brien sharing his views on whether the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland will approve INM's takeover of the Celtic Media Group, saying that he thinks its chief executive Michael O'Keefe is "the type of guy that won't be pushed around".

Simon Carswell

Simon Carswell

Simon Carswell is News Editor of The Irish Times