Denis O’Brien has today responded to claims made about him during a Dáil debate about his relationship with the former bank IBRC.

Mr O’Brien said that TD Catherine Murphy used Dáil privilege yesterday, to make statements relating to him, which Mr O’Brien claims are false and based on documents Deputy Murphy knew were illegally obtained.

It has been claimed that IBRC accepted a personal guarantee from the businessman to secure someone else’s loan at a time when his ability to repay his own loans was being questioned.

In a statement this evening, Mr O’Brien said due to ongoing litigation relating to a claim by him of abuse of Dáil privilege by Deputy Murphy last year, he is not in a position to detail the alleged defamatory nature of her statements in the Dáil yesterday.

Mr O’Brien added that he fully endorses the principle of Dáil privilege but not when is used to voice untruths or to make public the proper private and personal financial affairs of an any individual.