Burke told bank of IRTC decision

The Minister for Communications, Mr Ray Burke, rang his bank branch to say it had been appointed banker to the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) on the day of its inaugural meeting in 1988, the tribunal has heard.

Mr William Moody, a senior official at Ulster Bank's branch at Dublin Airport, said he received a call from Mr Burke on October 17th, 1988. The minister informed him that the members of the IRTC had held a meeting at Newbridge House in Donabate, at which Ulster Bank was appointed bankers to the commission. The account was opened the following day.

Mr Moody said Mr Burke had been his customer at the branch since 1974. He had "extensive" dealings with the minister, seeing him up to 10 times a year. The minister had not indicated the circumstances in which the IRTC appointed Ulster Bank; "he just told me" the news. "I saw it simply as the introduction of an account to me."

Asked what he understood the relationship between the minister and the IRTC to be, the witness replied: "I suppose I would have seen he had some power in introducing the business to me." Mr Des O'Neill SC, for the tribunal, asked if the branch had any special attraction or benefit for the IRTC, which had offices in the city centre. Mr Moody said it hadn't, but the headquarters of Ulster Bank were in Baggot Street, near the commission's offices.

He agreed the IRTC account was an attractive one for the bank, which would involve large sums of money. Asked whether he thought there was a quid pro quo involved in return for the introduction of the IRTC account, Mr Moody replied: "No, definitely not."

Mr O'Neill asked whether a bank manager might "take a certain view" in dealing with a customer who brought in such an account. "You might be quicker replying to phone calls," the witness replied.

He told Mr John Fox, barrister, for Mr Burke, that Mr Burke got no benefit from the bank for introducing the IRTC account.