GARDAI COULD PROBE STATION

Taoiseach voices concerns on payments | Cops have not yet received complaints

- FERGHAL BLANEY and DAVID RALEIGH

LEO Varadkar believes the gardai could be called in to investigate RTE's secret slush fund because some of the payments may have been illegal.

The Taoiseach's comments came after Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the force is ready and able to conduct a probe if asked.

Mr Varadkar was in Brussels for the European Council summit of EU leaders yesterday.

He told reporters: "I don't think we can rule out the fact that it's not just a case of irregular payments, that some of these payments may have been on the wrong side of the law.

"But I don't want to jump to that conclusion.

"The fact that it was so untransparent, even concealed, that payments were made for work that perhaps wasn't done that's much more serious, I think, and is a matter of real concern." He said he was "not sure if the gardai need to be called in yet, adding: "It did concern me to hear that payments were or it would appear anyway - made by RTE to outside contractors for work that wasn't actually done.