A TAXI driver featured in RTÉ's Prime Time Investigatesprogramme intends to sue the national broadcaster for defamation following his successful legal challenge against a decision by the National Transport Authority (NTA) to suspend his public service vehicle licences.
For several years Oluwaseyi Okerayi operated a business by hiring out both taxi plates and cars to others. Last May the NTA suspended the 25 public service licences he held after the Prime Time programme, which alleged he rented out cars that were unroadworthy to individuals who did not have licences.
Mr Okerayi, of Fitzherbert Court, Slane Road, Navan, Co Meath, who denied any wrongdoing alleged in the programme, brought a High Court action aimed at quashing the NTA’s decision to suspend his licences. Last month those proceedings were resolved when Mr Okerayi won the case. The authority did not contest the action.
Following that decision the businessman intends to bring a defamation action against the broadcaster. Mr Okerayi’s solicitor, Peter Connolly, confirmed he has instructions to commence proceedings for defamation and a formal warning letter has been sent. “My client reserves his rights to make a complaint to the Broadcasting Commission over the Prime Time broadcast last May and the Press Council of Ireland,” he added.
Last July counsel Mícheál Ó Higgins, with Keith Spencer, for Mr Okerayi, secured leave from the High Court to challenge the NTA’s decision. Counsel said the licences were suspended on May 18th last before any of their client’s vehicles were inspected. No reasons were given to Mr Okerayi for the suspension. Despite his compliance with all of the NTA’s requests, counsel said efforts to have the suspension lifted were refused. The authority’s decision was unfounded, unlawful, unfair, disproportionate, and his rights had been violated.
In an affidavit Mr Okerayi, a married father of two children who moved to Ireland from Nigeria in 2002, said he was the subject of a Prime Time Investigates programme broadcast on May 16th last. He said the broadcast “had deliberately misrepresented certain facts and distorted the true version of events”. He carries out the legitimate and lawful business of renting out taxi plates and vehicles and always checked out drivers’ documentation before renting out a taxi. He always repaired any defects in the cars once they were brought to his attention, he added.
Shortly after the programme was aired, representatives from the NTA seized documents from his home and he was informed that his licences were being suspended pending a further investigation. He said a number of his cars have been tested by the Garda and the NTA. While minor defects were detected in a couple of cars only one was found to be unroadworthy. He also rejected any suggestion in the programme that his cars passed their NCT tests due to impropriety on his part.