RYANAIR’S CHIEF executive Michael O’Leary has apologised to Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey for incorrectly attributing comments to Mr Justice Peter Kelly in a letter he sent the Minister on February 25th.
The February letter related to Ryanair’s application for leave for a judicial review of a determination on airport charges by the aviation regulator Cathal Guiomard.
“In that letter, I stated that the judge was critical of your delay in appointing an appeal panel,” Mr O’Leary stated in his letter dated March 31st.
“This was incorrect, inaccurate and should not have occurred, as it incorrectly attributed comments to Mr Justice [Peter] Kelly. The judge did not criticise you in any way.”
This matter came to the judge’s attention in court last week and resulted in him instructing Mr O’Leary to write a letter of apology to the Minister. The judge also directed that Mr O’Leary submit the letter to the court in advance for his approval.
The comments attributed by Mr O’Leary to the judge related to a hearing on February 22nd.
In his letter this week, Mr O’Leary added: “I have apologised unreservedly to Mr Justice Kelly . . . in court for my incorrect representation of what was said. I also now wish to unequivocally and unreservedly apologise to you for this incorrect assertion and to reconfirm that the judge did not criticise you or your conduct in any way during the hearing on February 22nd.” This has been a bruising affair for Mr O’Leary, who was admonished by the judge in his ruling last week.
At one point in the near two-hour proceedings in the court, the judge considered holding Mr O’Leary in contempt of court before accepting his apology.
Mr O’Leary was in court to explain why two sworn affidavits by representatives of Ryanair in relation to its challenge on the airport charges issue had contained factual errors.
Mr O’Leary apologised to the court for the errors.
The judge left it open for other parties in the case to file motions to have the Ryanair application struck out on the basis of misconduct by the airline. This matter will return to court after the Easter recess.
