The head of RTÉ has said there are no plans for Ryan Tubridy to return to his presenting role at the broadcaster.
Director-General Kevin Bakhurst said this evening he "decided not to continue with negotiations" with Mr Tubridy.
It comes a day after a Grant Thornton report found the broadcaster’s decision not to declare additional payments to Mr Tubridy was done, on the “balance of probabilities”, by RTÉ to make his earnings appear less than €500,000 per year.
It also found that Mr Tubridy’s published salary in 2020 and 2021 was correct and that he had turned down the offer of an exit fee of €120,000 when a contract came to an end.
Director-General of RTÉ Kevin Bakhurst leaving after meeting Media Minister Catherine Martin at her department in Dublin city. Picture by: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ieIn a statement, Mr Bakhurst said: "I have decided not to continue with negotiations and, as such, there are no plans for Ryan to return to his presenting role with RTÉ at this time.
"Despite having agreed some of the fundamentals, including fee, duration and hours, regretfully, it is my view that trust between the parties has broken down."
Mr Bakhurst said the misstatement of fees "should never have happened" and that he is "absolutely committed to restoring trust in this organisation following a shameful period in our history".
"To achieve this, and fully draw a line between our recent past and present, we must acknowledge and accept the issues that have arisen," he said.
"Who knows what the future holds, but for now I am concluding the negotiation with Ryan, and focusing on delivering a range of important changes to the operation and culture of this organisation as part of the essential work to restore trust in RTÉ," he added.
