OTB AM spoke to the author of 'Client Confidential' Seán Hartnett (not his real name). He says the IRFU brought him in to investigate leaks after the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
'Seán Hartnett' spoke to Eoin Sheahan on Friday's OTB AM to delve into some of the finer details in the publication.
'Hartnett', a former surveillance technician in the British army, makes numerous claims about IRFU secrets and counter espionage.
He claims he was first brought in to conduct a surveillance sweep of an IRFU suite after information was leaked from a board meeting regarding who would replace Eddie O'Sullivan following a poor 2007 Rugby World Cup.
"Philip Browne had concerns there was information leaked from that meeting, and it had been leaked to the media. The information, the leak, had been so accurate that it had gotten back to the media, he had concerns it might have been an electronic listening device that had picked up on it and recorded the entire conversations of the meeting."
He says any organisations or businesses greatest opportunity of a leak is their own staff.
"Your greatest vulnerability is personel", said 'Hartnett'.
The IFRU have stated that the 'Client Confidential' author has largely fictionalised many portions of the publication.
The IRFU state they have never retained the services of 'Sean Hartnett':
IRFU STATEMENT
In 2008 the Committee of the Irish Rugby Football Union, sanctioned the retention of RMI, a highly regarded and reputable risk assessment and security consultancy, to conduct a wide-ranging risk assessment of the then newly occupied IRFU headquarter’s building, IT systems, hotel accommodation, meeting facilities being used by the Irish team and IRFU and our general approach to business confidentiality, in line with best business practices of the day.
The IRFU continues to conduct such assessments across all of its business operations.
It is apparent that the author of ‘Client Confidential’ has fictionalised many elements in the account of the IRFU’s engagement with RMI and has exercised extreme degrees of artistic licence in his portrayal of the process undertaken.
For the record the IRFU has never retained the services of, or worked with, a ‘Seán Hartnett’.
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