Ms Laura Magahy, whose company provides executive services at the Campus Stadium project, yesterday said she strongly resented implications that she had landed contracts because she knew Mr Paddy Teahon.
At the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, Ms Magahy was questioned by Labour TD Mr Pat Rabbitte who said he wanted to ask her about a point that appeared so much in the press.
"Can you give us any insight into the secret whereby you seem to land more than your fair share of contracts, on the face of it where Mr Teahon happens to be the chairman or the presiding person?"
Ms Magahy asked: "Are you suggesting I didn't get contracts on merit?"
Mr Rabbitte said he was asking if she could give any insight. The same system was applicable, was it not, in the Media Village contract, for instance, the percentage basis, did that apply there? he asked.
Ms Magahy said that it did not apply there. She said they responded to a publicly advertised contract, they put a proposal to the company, Campus Stadium Ireland Development Ltd (CSID), and they negotiated a contract.
"I don't see that Mr Teahon's presence is relevant to us landing two contracts," Ms Magahy said.
Mr Rabbitte said she must be as conscious as he was that there had been a lot of comment in the public media of the fact, whether it was Temple Bar or the Stadium or the Media Village that the same personalities were involved in what must be a competitive world with weighty applicants applying. He was just asking if she wanted to comment on that.
Ms Magahy replied: "I just want to say that we won all contracts on merit and that I was not part of the assessing panels that assessed our applications and that I resent any implications that we landed contracts as a result of knowing Mr Teahon. I've no further comment to add to that."
Mr Teahon at this point intervened. He said he was not the only person who made the decisions involved. He believed that the people who made the decisions were highly reputable people
"And I believe that there's a kind of implication that because Laura Magahy and I happen to know each other because of our work together, even if her company was the best company, that somehow to avoid any suggestion of the kind that's implicit in what the people that Deputy Rabbitte is referring to might be suggesting, that despite the fact that Laura Magahy's company was the best company that she shouldn't have been awarded the contact which I believe would be totally and completely wrong," Mr Teahon said.