Oliver Barry yesterday angrily rejected statements that he had failed to disclose nine bank accounts in affidavits and said three of them were not bank accounts at all.
The statements were made the previous day by Mr Pat Hanratty SC, for the tribunal. The heated response came yesterday as Mr Hanratty was questioning Mr Barry about meetings he had with the minister for communications, Mr Ray Burke, on December 19, 1989, when Century Radio was in a dire financial situation.
Mr Barry, who said he had invested £275,000 in Century, said he could not remember the meeting. Mr Hanratty said: "I suggest it is inconceivable that you don't remember meetings with Mr Burke when he was the only hope of salvation."
At this, Mr Barry replied: "But, Mr Hanratty, you make a lot of suggestions, don't you?"
Asked again, Mr Barry said: "I am under oath here, Mr Hanratty. You made very serious suggestions about me yesterday, about my bank accounts. That is utterly false, utter rubbish." He said he had no bank accounts in Los Angeles or Jersey.
Mr Hanratty said he had read out a factual schedule of Mr Barry's compliance with the discovery. Mr Barry's solicitors had admitted a number of them.
"Three of the nine items are not bank accounts. If you had any decency you would reject it and withdraw it," Mr Barry said.
Referring to the meetings, Mr Hanratty said Mr Barry went to meet a minister to whom he had given £35,000 the previous May. He said Mr Barry was asking for a favour. Mr Barry replied: "Asking for help and well, yes, a favour, if you call it that."
Mr Hanratty said there was another meeting with the minister attended by Mr Barry, Mr James Stafford, another Century director and Bank of Ireland officials. Mr Barry said he faintly remembered it. It was a crisis meeting to comfort the bank not to foreclose.