Former IBRC chairman Alan Dukes said claims made in the Dáil by Independent TD Catherine Murphy about Businessman Denis O’Brien’s arrangements with the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) are wrong.

“She is basically alleging that there was a very special consideration given to Denis O’Brien and it was not done through proper processes in the bank. That’s wrong,” said Mr Dukes.

He told the The Irish Times that former IBRC chief executive Mike Aynsley had said all “performing” clients were treated in exactly the same manner and there was no preferential treatment.

He also noted remarks last month by William Hobbs, the independent expert who oversaw the sale of Siteserv for IBRC and said Denis O’Brien’s offer was accepted because it was the best, simplest and could be completed.

“She is saying all these people, Mike Aynsley, myself and William Hobbs, are all wrong and are all in some way telling lies,” said Mr Dukes.

“It’s very hard to sit by and see yourself painted as a kind of evil genius and not do anything about it, but I stand by what I said.”

‘Plain wrong’

Mr Dukes was contacted by The Irish Times after being reported in the Sunday Independent as describing Ms Murphy’s allegations as “downright, plain wrong”.

He also said the Central Bank had looked at the Siteserv documentation and did not find anything “objectionable”.

Ms Murphy made her comments under Dáil privilege on Thursday afternoon.

Mr O’Brien secured an injunction preventing RTÉ from broadcasting a report on the substance of the subject at the centre of Ms Murphy’s comments.

That order was also directed at any person or media outlet on notice of it, including The Irish Times.

The Irish Times and RTÉ will be applying separately to the High Court on Tuesday to clarify the position in terms of reporting Ms Murphy’s statements in the Dáil.