The former Secretary General at the Department of Health, who was removed after the revelations contained in the Travers Report, has gone on the attack over his treatment.
Michael Kelly was moved to the Higher Education Authority after the report into the illegal charging of pensioners for care criticised department officials over their handling of the affair.
The report by former Forfas head John Travers found that officials were responsible for a "long-term systematic failure" that allowed the practice to continue for nearly three decades.
Mr Kelly mounted an attack at the Oireachtas Health Committee today on both the contents of the report and the conduct of the various ministers and advisors involved.
The official insisted he fully briefed former Minister for Health Micheál Martin on the illegal charges on at least two occasions.
One of those was an oral briefing outside a Management Advisory Committee (MAC) meeting in December 2003. "I am quite clear that I did alert him to this and I don't have any doubt about that," Mr Kelly said.
Mr Martin, who is due before the committee tomorrow, denies ever being aware of the charges. Mr Travers found no evidence that Mr Martin was informed of concerns about the legality of the charges.
Mr Kelly went on to criticise Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney for her treatment of him in the wake of the report. He was scathing about the "manner of execution" of his removal.
"I would simply express the hope that nobody in the position of secretary general would go through the same experience again."
He also attacked ministerial advisors, whose role, he said, was to alert ministers to such issues. "If these advisors are not there to alert a minister to something as significant as this, why are they there?" he asked.
Mr Kelly then accused Mr Travers of criticising department officials without ever having met them. He said he had been assured by Mr Travers that anybody who was criticised in the report would get a right of reply, but this never happened.
Additional Reporting: PA