Clarification: Niall Saul
IN the edition of the Irish Independent of Saturday, October 10, under the headline: 'Coughlan: I was powerless to stop board giving car to Molloy', Tanaiste Mary Coughlan is quoted as saying that a FAS board member, Mr Niall Saul, had told her that the issue of former director general Rody Molloy's car was going to be discussed at a meeting of the board.
It has been brought to our attention that the Tanaiste did not say this. What she said was that she had heard Mr Saul discussing the matter in a recent radio interview.
We fully accept that Mr Saul had no involvement whatsoever in the negotiation of Mr Molloy's package, or discussions of any sort with the Tanaiste or any of her officials on that topic at any point. We note that Mr Saul was not present at the FAS Board meeting at which Mr Molloy's package was discussed. We further recognise that in the radio interview, Mr Saul was merely offering an opinion on the issue of such severance packages in general, based on his professional experience in dealing with such matters. We regret the error and apologise to Mr Saul for any embarrassment caused.
Irish Independent
