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#DOBvSBP Former editor of SBP Ian Kehoe has resumed giving evidence. McDowell asks IK about the headline "gang of 22" and asks where it came from. IK: "Certainly in my mind it related to a very well known phrase from 1983 when 22 Fianna Fail members tried to oust Charlie Haughey"
#DOBvSBP IK says the term is part of the "political lexicon". Says newspapers, when writing headlines, try to think of puns, something clever or some well known phrase. IK points out today's Telegraph front page is about 'gang of 7' re: Labour Party.
#DOBvSBP McDowell SC, for SBP, is reading from a legal letter sent to SBP after the publication of articles on March 15, 2015. IK (repeats) that the articles were not about Denis O'Brien but about the state of Irish banks and state of Irish banking system at the time (2008)
#DOBvSBP IK says DOB was named in the articles because he was named by PwC as one of the top 22 borrowers in the sate. IK: "If he wasn't named in the PwC report, he would not have appeared in our newspaper."
#DOBvSBP In response to claim in DOB solicitor's legal letter that DOB had been made a “central feature” of the SBP's articles and that they cast an "unwarranted slur" on him, IK said: "Denis O'Brien was not central to this story in any way, shape or form. It wasn't about him."
#DOBvSBP IK tells jury that the SBP never said Denis O'Brien was guilty of any wrongdoing. IK says the only people who've been accused of criminality is himself (IK) and Tom Lyons.
#DOBvSBP IK: We simply didn’t state he was a failed businessman. We said he continued to buy, paid his debts and was one of the best borrowers of the banks. We didn’t say anywhere he was a failed businessman." Asked if he considered DOB a failed businessman, IK: "Absolutely not"
#DOBvSBP McD says it's DOB's case that the SBP acted "maliciously" and that DOB's borrowings with Anglo/IBRC were already in public domain and the SBP were "dressing it up as new info when it was old hat". IK says the detail in the PwC report had "never been published before".
#DOBvSBP IK says of use of word "secret" in the SBP: "Word ‘secret' didn’t relate to Denis O'Brien...it was in relation to the whole PwC report." IK: This wasn’t about him. This report was "so secret and so confidential" I was accused of a criminal offence "by even having it"
#DOBvSBP [by DOB's legal team]. IK says there was "no effort to mislead anybody". One of DOB's complaints is that he claims the SBP articles "lumped" him in with "developer kings".
#DOBvSBP IK tells jury: "He is certainly a developer of significant interest..and still, to this day, has development interests and is highly active in that area." IK says the SBP did NOT say DOB was a "developer king".
#DOBvSBP IK says if the SBP sought to act out of malice towards DOB they wouldn't have published that DOB was such a good borrowers and had repaid his debts. IK: There was no suggestion [in SBP] whatsoever that he borrowed recklessly
#DOBvSBP McDowell: He's effectively saying if a bank gives money out recklessly, it follows that those who borrowed acted recklessly. IK: No because it's not true. And that's never appeared in the newspaper in relation to Mr O'Brien
