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David Drumm was sentenced yesterday. Brian Lawless/PA Images

'The tapes don't lie': Senior garda says Drumm's crimes caused 'real harm' to the public

Detective chief superintendent Pat Lordan said Drumm’s sentencing has come at the “end of a long road for An Garda Síochána”.

THE GARDA THAT led the investigation into former Anglo Irish Bank CEO David Drumm said that yesterday’s sentencing sent out a message that Ireland takes this sort of crime seriously and “no stone will be left unturned” in prosecuting such cases.

The former Anglo chief was sentenced to six years in jail for his part in a multi-billion euro bank fraud scheme in 2008.

Earlier this month, a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court returned unanimous verdicts of guilty on one charge of conspiracy to defraud and one of false accounting, after just over ten-and-a-half hours of deliberations.

It was the State’s case that Drumm conspired with a number of others to carry out €7.2 billion in fraudulent circular transactions in order to bolster the customer deposits figure on Anglo’s balance sheet.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, detective chief superintendent Pat Lordan said Drumm’s sentencing has come at the “end of a long road for An Garda Síochána”.

“It’s been a long nine years,” he said. “I know the members of the team have worked hard… right up to the end of the trial.”

Lordan said that, from the gardaí’s perspective, their investigation is now complete “insofar as the trial is finished and a conviction has been achieved”.

The investigation into Drumm was similar to other criminal investigations, he said, with up to 20 gardaí working on the case over the years.

Lordan said that the prosecution was a “credit to all those who followed it through” when others may have “run up against a brick wall”.

The senior garda noted that real harm had been done by Drumm’s crimes and that the public was entitled to have trust in blue chip companies. Prior to appearing on the show, extracts from the so-called Anglo Tapes of Drumm’s comments in 2008 were played.

He said: “The tapes don’t lie. You can hear the attitude to what was going on. Even for the jury, I think that was strong evidence.

It came out quite clearly in the court that Mr Drumm could not be blamed for the recession… [but] the purpose was to try to keep the bank alive when it was an impossible task to keep the bank alive.

Lordan added that Drumm’s prosecution and six-year sentence sent out a strong message that Ireland treats white collar crime very seriously and “no stone will be left unturned” in prosecuting such offenders.

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    Mute Toby
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    Jul 28th 2023, 8:06 AM

    Every country France colonised is a mess now, recent coups in Mali, Burkina and Niger. Even France is a mess. Do we want to be in Europe as a bit player in their club?

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    Mute James Carroll
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    Jul 28th 2023, 8:51 AM

    @Toby: Yes.

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    Mute John Lonergan
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    Jul 28th 2023, 8:53 AM

    @Toby: cause the ones other countries colonised are all fine and dandy?

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    Mute Washpenrebel
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    Jul 28th 2023, 10:12 AM

    I would expect no one here realises that France is still has the biggest colonies in Africa. They countries they used to directly control, they now control their finances. Ie these countries reserves are stored in the French central bank. The French keep them poor and the enrich themselves with their resources. When a leader comes in they don’t like, they are removed. France is far from a democracy. In fairness to the British at least they left.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jul 28th 2023, 11:16 AM

    @Washpenrebel: In fairness the British left? Yes the British left after drawing lines in the sand that led to the deaths of millions between India and Pakistan. The mess they left behind in the Middle East is still going on to this day. The British Empire was just as bad as the French Empire. A legacy of murder and destruction.

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    Mute Washpenrebel
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    Jul 28th 2023, 12:37 PM

    @Donal Desmond: 100% agree with you. But the way the French still control former colonies is horrendous. There is a reason why the French foreign legion are still active all over Africa. Africa is still used as a resource to plunder a pillage from. The Congo being a perfect example with all its rich minerals.

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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    Jul 28th 2023, 10:31 AM

    Washpenrebel.
    For anyone starting to read his comment just skip down to the last sentence.

    It’s handy when commenters make their agenda so obvious.

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    Mute Pato
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    Jul 28th 2023, 3:04 PM

    The British left did they? How come I still see them when I go to Enniskillen?

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