The Finance Minister has launched an unprecedented attack on the Public Accounts Committee - accusing it of 'conjuring up' unfounded criticisms of him.
Michael Noonan has spoken out tonight for the first time since the PAC report on the sale of NAMA's Northern Ireland loanbook.
One of the findings of that report was that it wasn't "procedurally appropriate" for the minister and his officials to meet the purchasers, Cerberus the day before they bought the loans.
Minister Noonan has insisted it was only right for him to meet a potential investor in Ireland and he launched this attack on the Public Accounts Committee: “The PAC has conjured up other unjustified and unfounded criticisms, of me and my officials.
“These criticisms were leaked to the press, presumably by members of the PAC and these criticisms found their way into the final report.
“I can only assume the information was leaked in an effort to secure its conclusion in the final report.”
Responding the PAC chairman Seán Fleming accused Minister Noonan of issuing a threat during a private conversation in the Dáil restaurant: “You said to me and I have written it down; ‘I can injunct you.’
“For a Minister of Finance to threaten the Public Accounts Committee, that is the most inappropriate things that any Minister of Finance has ever done in my lifetime.
“And you should withdraw that threat here and now, you should apologise to the accounts committee, I go as far as to say, I question your fitness for office.”