Katherine Zappone thanked Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney back in March for offering her an "incredible opportunity", fresh WhatsApp messages have revealed.
The first time Taoiseach Micheál Martin heard about the ex-minister's appointment as UN Special Envoy for Freedom of Expression was when he was “blindsided” at a Cabinet meeting on July 27 - four months later.
Minister Simon Coveney in a statement has said he is sorry that the appointment has caused “such controversy for the Government” and that he has “no hesitation” to apologise to the Taoiseach again.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach told the Irish Mirror: “The Minister for Foreign Affairs will appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Tuesday to give a comprehensive account of the circumstances around the UN Special Envoy role.
“As the Taoiseach stated earlier, it is important we have transparency on the issue and there should be a full review of the role of envoys in the future and any potential appointments should be done via open, public competition.”
A WhatsApp message on March 4, from Katherine Zappone to Minister Coveney, appears to show her thanking him for a new role.
It reads: "Hi Simon. Thank you so, so much for offering me this incredible opportunity.
“It will be such a privilege and I will be so proud to serve Ireland again.
"I think the time is really ripe for change too. Could you let me know time period appointment is for, and what are next steps.
"As you know, am working with UNFPA till mid or end of June.”
The texts also show that Ms Zappone contacted the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe about the job.
The documents released by the Department also show a string of WhatsApp messages Ms Zappone sent looking for information about a job from Minister Coveney.
On April 9, Ms Zappone texted the Minister: “Simon see you have a lot of your plate, as always . . . Have heard in the background that Department may be ready to discuss proposals with you for my work? Look forward to hearing from you. K”.
A month later, Ms Zappone texted Minister Coveney again and the text suggests Minister Coveney had said she could start in June:
It reads: “Hi Simon, hope all well. Any news yet? You had mentioned June as start time. Thanks, K”.
Minister Simon Coveney in a statement said he is sorry that the appointment has caused “such controversy for the Government” and that he has “no hesitation” in apologising to the Taoiseach again.
He said the files released by his Department “show extensive consideration of the envoy position as well as a complete timeline ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence”.
He added: “I am eager to go through all the documentation with the committee tomorrow morning and I will give a complete explanation of the timelines and decision-making process on bringing a recommendation to Government to establish this post.
“The significant detail set out in the files shows the extent of work that took place within different units of my Department.
“I am sorry that this appointment has caused such controversy for the Government.
“I have apologised to the Taoiseach for the failings on my part in relation to this issue and I have no hesitation in doing so again.
“Finally, a review of envoy positions is ongoing in the Department, however I agree with the Taoiseach’s call for all future appointments to be made by open public competition.”
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