New RTÉ report reveals further under-reporting of Tubridy's salary

THE RTÉ Board has published a second report conducted by Grant Thornton, highlighting critical issues within the organisation's procedures and governance, which the dubbed as confirmation of "siloed management culture," by chair.

The report, commissioned by the Audit and Risk Committee, centered on an examination of the public disclosure of earnings attributed to Ryan Tubridy, a prominent figure at RTÉ. 

The core focus of the investigation was the apparent discrepancy in the reported earnings of Mr Tubridy during the years 2017 to 2019. The findings unequivocally reveal that these figures were deliberately understated, due to calculated adjustments made by RTÉ's financial department during the specified time frame.

the report validates details that were previously disclosed in documents furnished to the Public Accounts Committee. These documents outlined Mr. Tubridy's earnings as follows:

• In 2017, Mr Tubridy garnered €511,667 from RTÉ, in contrast to his publicly stated salary of €491,667.
• In 2018, his earnings amounted to €545,000 from RTÉ, differing from his RTÉ-stated salary of €495,000.
• The report also establishes that his earnings in 2019 reached €545,000, once again diverging from the publicly declared salary of €495,000.

Furthermore, the second report serves to verify that a substantial bonus totaling €120,000, which the broadcaster was due to receive at the end of his 2015 to 2020 contract, was waived by Tubridy.

The RTÉ Board's subsequent decision to restate Mr Tubridy's earnings for the affected years was proved by the report. Notably, the report asserts that neither Mr. Tubridy nor NK Management were privy to, or had any involvement in, the adjustments carried out between 2017 and 2019.

However, it is important to highlight that despite the discrepancy in publicly reported earnings, the report underscores that these adjustments did not materially impact RTÉ's financial statements.

The Grant Thornton report reveals a hypothesis that the adjustments made in 2017, 2018, and 2019 may have been strategically crafted to present 'revised earnings' that consistently remained below the €500,000 threshold for each respective year.

While the full report has been made public, certain sections have been discreetly redacted to protect the anonymity of junior staff members.

Beyond the financial implications, the report casts a glaring spotlight on glaring governance failures and a series of internal management deficiencies within RTÉ. A notable aspect is the report's revelation of a breakdown in effective communication between the executive leadership and the Board. Furthermore, it underscores inadequacies in RTÉ's finance function, pointing to notable lapses in management controls.

Siún Ní Raghallaigh, Chair of RTÉ, expressed deep regret over the manifestation of a siloed management culture, acknowledging the shortcomings identified in the report. Ní Raghallaigh affirmed the Board's commitment to rectifying these shortcomings and initiating a sustained, comprehensive reform within RTÉ.

In response to the report's revelations, the RTÉ Board has announced its intention to collaborate with Deloitte, RTÉ's auditors, to address the critical concerns raised. Immediate steps have also been taken to fortify the organisation against the recurrence of similar lapses in the future.

In collaboration with Director General Kevin Bakhurst, the RTÉ Board has committed itself to an extensive reform and recovery programme.