O'Leary dismisses calls for his resignation

Fianna Fáil activist Mr Dermot O’Leary has again refused to resign from the board of Aer Rianta following the revelation that he interceded to provide special treatment for Liam Lawlor at Dublin Airport.

Mr O’Leary told RTÉ News he arranged the special treatment following a request by Lawlor’s wife, Hazel. He dismissed suggestions by the Opposition that he should resign.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has declined to comment on the matter in advance of a report from the Aer Rianta board.

The Aer Rianta chairman, Mr Noel Hanlon said yesterday that Mr O’Leary had contacted a duty officer to arrange a smooth transit through the airport for Lawlor on his return from a holiday in New York. Mr Hanlon admitted that allowing Lawlor to bypass Customs and slip through a side door to dodge waiting media was "wrong".

Earlier this week, Mr O’Leary denied suggestions of his involvement as "complete falsehoods".

The Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, last night demanded a statement from Minister for Public Enterprise, Mrs O'Rourke, on the matter. He said it raised serious questions about Mr O’Leary’s suitability to serve on the board.

Fine Gael’s spokesman on transport, Mr Jim Higgins, also called for him to step down.

Mrs O’Rourke said in a statement that she would meet Mr Hanlon next week, and would also discuss the matter with the Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Minister for Finance.