The family of the late Brian Lenihan has strongly criticised Jean Claude Trichet for comments he made about the former Minister for Finance.

Mary O'Rourke said she believed Mr Lenihan's version of events over that of the former European Central Bank President.

Mr Trichet denied he phoned the then Minister for Finance to order him to "save your banks at all costs" days before the guarantee was announced.

Speaking on RTÉ radio on Sunday morning, Ms O'Rourke said: "He said he did not telephone. He may not have telephoned. Somebody acting for him may well have. I believe Brian got a telephone call."

Ms O'Rourke also heavily criticised the committee for travelling to Kilmainham, Co Dublin to listen to the former European Central Bank president.

She said: "He did not take an oath, he did not have to take an oath. Anyone who goes into Leinster House to the committee has to take an oath and we all know you can't lie under oath."

The former TD for Longford/Westmeath said it was her belief the setting was wrong and it was a case of the committee had been “summoned to the master”.

She said: “This is all wrong. The setting was wrong. The idea that you would go like a school boy or school girl to be summoned to the master, that was my instant thought.”

The committee is now to examine telephone records from Mr Lenihan to try and establish if any phone call was made.

Fianna Fáil spokesman on Finance Michael McGrath said the format was an "unsatisfactory compromise" between the inquiry and Mr Trichet.

He said he felt “uncomfortable” sitting in the audience and asking questions in the strict circumstances the committee had to work with.

He said the members had a “stark choice” to either accept the terms or have no engagement at all.

Mr McGrath said he doesn’t accept Mr Trichet’s claims that he couldn’t come before the parliamentary inquiry.