AN Irish radio station has unreservedly apologised to Gerry Adams for broadcasting "false and defamatory" comments about the former Sinn Féin president earlier this year.
LMFM – an independent local radio station based in Drogheda, Co. Louth – said it acknowledged that "false statements" had been made about the county's TD on The Michael Reade Show on February 14 and 15.
The original comments about the 70-year-old politician were made in relation to the killing of farmer Tom Oliver by the IRA 18 years ago.
Oliver – a 43-year-old farmer from the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth – was abducted, tortured and murdered by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in July 1991, reportedly for passing on information to Gardaí.
An apology to Adams was read out live on LMFM shortly after 9am this morning.
Gerry Adams welcomes LMFM’s apology and its unreserved retraction of “false and defamatory” comments that were made on the Michael Reade Show in February. https://t.co/Ax4VJ6z4Vt
— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) 3 July 2019
It said: "On 14 and 15 February 2019, during interviews broadcast on The Michael Reade Show, a number of false and defamatory comments were made regarding Gerry Adams TD concerning the murder of Tom Oliver.
"We unreservedly retract these false statements, which we acknowledge should not have been broadcast in the first place. We apologise unreservedly to Mr Adams."
Responding on Twitter, Adams wrote: "I welcome LMFM’s apology and its unreserved retraction of 'false and defamatory' comments that were made on the Michael Reade Show in February concerning the murder of Tom Oliver.
"I want to thank my solicitor Paul Tweed for his efforts in this case."
Adams has repeatedly denied allegations that he was ever a member of the Provisional IRA and has hit out at several "libellous" claims to the contrary over the decades.
Just last year, the Press Council rejected a complaint by Adams against the Irish Independent newspaper over an article regarding Tom Oliver's murder which appeared on its front page – itself based on an interview Adams gave to LMFM.
