There is "no doubt that intervention at the highest level" was made to ensure Liam Lawlor and his wife were facilitated in their passage through Dublin Airport last week to avoid reporters, the Fine Gael spokesman on public enterprise has said.
Mr Jim Higgins has written to the Minister, Ms O'Rourke, on the matter and said yesterday that he would raise it in the Dáil.
Mr Lawlor and his wife returned from a holiday in New York on New Year's Day.
The seven-day prison sentence he completed yesterday had been deferred by the Supreme Court in December to allow him and his wife to travel to New York.
Mr and Mrs Lawlor were visiting their son and pregnant daughter-in-law for Christmas.
Though they arrived back on a scheduled flight, they managed to evade members of the media by leaving the airport through a staff exit.
It has been alleged that the couple must have been assisted by Aer Rianta and airport customs in their passage through the airport given that they did not leave through the public exit.
A spokeswoman for Aer Rianta said: "We cannot confirm or deny that. We do not comment on individual passengers."
Mr Higgins said there was no doubt in his mind that representations were made to Aer Rianta "at the highest level" to ensure the Lawlors would not have to face the media at the airport, the day before Mr Lawlor began his sentence at Mountjoy Prison.
"It is quite obvious special arrangements were made with Aer Rianta to ensure Liam Lawlor and his wife were secreted through Dublin Airport away from the waiting press," he said.
He said he had information that a "semi-political person" had made such representations to the airport management.
