Monica Leech has told the High Court she is unable to put a figure on her total earnings from public contracts secured by her from the Office of Public Works and Department of the Environment.
Ms Leech said she got her first contract from the OPW in late 2001, having become self-employed and trading as Monica Leech Consultants earlier that year.
She said that after Mr Cullen was appointed junior minister sometime in 2001 he had told her a couple of projects were coming up and his office would be in touch with her. She was given a six-month contract in late 2001, which was extended to seven months.
She said she secured further short-term contracts in 2002 and 2003. Her daily rate was €650 and she did not have records of hours worked, but the work which was required to be done in relation to the contracts was done.
A subsequent inquiry by a senior civil servant had found there was nothing improper in the awarding of the contracts.
Ms Leech said she was asked but refused to stand as a candidate for the PDs and had advised supporters of Mr Cullen about how best to allocate his election spend. Earlier, she said she was aware of Mr Cullen as a senior politician in Waterford from about 1997, but was not a personal friend of his. She met him at social and business functions during the course of her work.
Cross-examined by Eoin McCullough SC, for Independent Newspapers, Ms Leech agreed that the newspaper had reported that RTÉ had apologised and had dissociated itself from the caller's comments. She agreed she had heard a news release from RTÉ issued that same evening which stated the station apologised for "any offence caused" by the Livelineitem and that people apologise when they do wrong. RTÉ should have apologised to herself and her family, she said.
By repeating the comments made, the Independentwas very wrong, she said. What the newspaper did was "short of evil".
She agreed the fact the call was pulled and that RTÉ had apologised was newsworthy, but said the newspaper should have stated a "lewd" remark was made and not repeated the remarks.
Ms Leech said she was forced to sue RTÉ and the newspaper and had waited two and a half years for an apology. She agreed she had secured €250,000 from RTÉ in libel proceedings.
She said she was in court to be vindicated and the only way to be vindicated was to receive damages. When Mr McCullough asked was that in addition to the €250,000 received from RTÉ, Ms Leech said she did not see a connection. She was in court in relation to this particular article.