RTÉ To Investigate "Golden Handshakes" To Senior Executives Who Left Broadcaster

In the latest development in the ongoing RTÉ payment scandal, the broadcaster is to investigate potential "golden handshakes" allegedly given to senior executives leaving the organisation.

This comes after it emerged that a "very large exit package" was paid to a key witness in the Ryan Tubridy payments scandal. 

Tubridy who is set for showdown talks with RTÉ management over his salary demands, has invoiced for his last month of TV and radio work, according to the broadcaster.

The former Late Late Show host has also been encouraged to pay back the €150,000, which was paid to him by RTÉ for sponsor gigs that he never done. 

However, the scandal has now moved onto exit packages. This comes after RTÉ faced criticism over a payment to their former chief financial officer Breda O'Keefe. There is also speculation among RTÉ staff that sizeable sums of money were paid to other senior executives, who have left the national broadcaster.

It has also emerged that substantial exit packages were agreed between former Director General Dee Forbes and Ms O'Keefe, a package which was not signed off by all members of the RTÉ executive.

The new director general Kevin Bakhurst has revealed that an external review into redundancy payments will be carried out.

“Details of the review, which will feed into the Government’s Review of Contractor Fees, Human Resources (HR) and other matters, will be announced as soon as possible", he said. 

RTÉ is not stating who left under voluntary schemes in 2017 and 2021, however, there is a clear discrepancy, as unions at the broadcaster have claimed that ordinary staff members were turned down for packages.