The Department of Finance is refusing to comment on claims that it interfered in the former Anglo Irish Bank as it tried to sell off its assets.
The bank's former CEO last night said the Department tried to have one businessman excluded from buying assets, even if it meant missing out on extra income.
Mike Aynsley told the inquiry that a Departmental official had objections to the businessman buying one major asset that IBRC had recently sold.
When asked if the same businessman should be excluded from a future sale, even if he was offering €100 million more than his nearest rival, the Department official said this should be the case - and that minister Michael Noonan would support this.
Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly filed this report for Today FM's National Lunchtime News:
