Aer Lingus chairman Mr Bernie Cahill has denied colluding with a subcommittee that upheld two complaints of sexual harassment against its chief executive, Mr Michael Foley.
In a High Court hearing at which Mr Foley sought to block the State airline's disciplinary process, Mr Cahill also denied asking the chief executive to stand aside last April while the investigation continued.
Mr Foley told the subcommittee: "Two people decided to frame me and then someone went public; they fucked me."
His counsel, Ms Mary Irvine SC, said the Aer Lingus board wanted to discipline Mr Foley before informing him of his right to an appeal. He greatly feared that dismissal on grounds of gross misconduct was imminent and wanted an appeal heard by an independent body before a separate board subcommittee took disciplinary action.
Mr Foley found it hard to believe that his contractual and constitutional rights could be vindicated if his fate was decided by a subcommittee that had not heard the evidence against him.
Mr Foley and his wife Noreen were present in court. He has denied the allegations made by a SIPTU worker-director, Ms Joan Loughnane, and a member of Aer Lingus head office staff, Ms Anne Lawlor. The findings of the investigation were perverse, he said.
Two affidavits signed by Mr Cahill were among eight produced by Aer Lingus and read to the court by Ms Irvine yesterday.
Mr Cahill denied Mr Foley's allegation that he pressurised Ms Lawlor into making her complaint. A separate Aer Lingus affidavit cited a letter from Ms Lawlor's solicitor, Mr Daniel Spring. It said: "While our client acknowledges that she may not have made her complaint but for [a] conversation with Mr Cahill, it is entirely inaccurate to state that she made the complaint because the chairman pressurised her into doing it."
Mr Cahill said he was at all times appalled by breaches of confidentiality, which resulted in Mr Foley's name appearing in the media. While Mr Foley claimed the subcommittee investigated breaches of confidentiality only after material favourable to him appeared in the media, this was denied by Aer Lingus.
Citing distress caused by the publication of his name, Mr Foley told the investigation: "This is worse than a death, there is a reason for a death, you go on with life. This has destroyed my family. And I am telling you, it is not going to happen, over my dead body."
Mr Foley was effectively suspended by the disciplinary subcommittee on May 18th. The case before Ms Justice Carroll continues this morning.
