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THE FORMER CHAIRMAN of the now defunct Anglo Irish Bank has said that he cannot comment on the material that was handed over to authorities in 2009 because of potential court cases.
Alan Dukes has told TheJournal.ie that the Central Bank and the Department of Finance were “perfectly aware” that an investigation into the toxic bank was being carried out by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) as far back as 2009.
“They started their investigation in 2009 and all that information was handed over during the course of that investigation,” he said.
“The Central Bank was perfectly aware that the investigation was going on, as was the Department of Finance and we’re not making any comment about that because all of that material is evidential material in relation to pending litigation.”
Dukes was appointed public interest director at the bank in 2008 and later became its chairman as it was merged with Irish Nationwide and renamed Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) which has since been liquidated.
He said yesterday that all of the relevant information that was sought by authorities was handed over to them and insisted that any suggestions that information was held back were “absolutely wrong”.
Yesterday Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald accused Dukes of “singing dumb” over the existence of the tapes.
The government has confirmed that millions of electronic documents and around 5,000 paper documents have been seized by authorities as part of their investigation.
But Dukes said yesterday: “The bank complied fully with all the requests that were made of it and handed over all the information that was required, requested, and we can’t comment on any of it because it’s evidential material in the context of potential litigation.”
On the “singing dumb” accusation, Dukes repeated that “we had to be very careful not to prejudice in any way the course of that investigation or the outcome of it”.
He said he would “absolutely” be prepared to testify before any banking inquiry, saying he is “perfectly aware” of his and the IBRC board’s obligations.
“We don’t reminding of them and we have cooperated with every investigation that we have been asked to cooperate with and any suggestion to the contrary is pure mischief,” he said.
Asked if he felt other former Anglo executives, including US-based former CEO David Drumm, should cooperate with any inquiry, Dukes said that he would not comment on that as it may prejudice any investigation.
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Life for a failed TD can be quiet lucrative
Quite even (stooppid early morning)
In this case it appears quiet and quite both apply:)
Cannot see how a simple yes I knew about the tapes or no I didn’t prejudices any investigation.
He must have know as recordings from 18 people were got with a court order in 2010 but Dukes wanted to protect bankers pay, promote Bowe and Fitzgerald and portray IBRC as whiter than white when in fact it was as corrupt as Anglo. Dukes you should be ashamed.
I see his point. Sure if he said tgere were tapes would have stirred up storm and you would be surprised in court.
Judge my client has been unfairly prejudiced the people of the jury know of the existence of the tapes and the public anger demanding the release. Judge I would submit that my client have been unfairly and unconstitutionaly judged in the court of public opinion therefore can not receive a fair trial.
Irish law is so screwed up that defence might work. Sure it’s taking too long but I don’t blame dukes he is just doing what his meant too.
DUKES…you should go back to the mountains and have a look at your story .The moral of this story is ..hope you dont get caught . “Remember”
Singing dumb, well done Mary Lou, there is somthing we are all missibg here, we have been robbed, this money is being paid back by us, and WE deserve answers, not excuses or “l can’t say anything until the inquiry starts” this is nonsence, these guys are not going to jail, they will live out their lives on good pensions (that we will also pay for) in different countries. All l ask for is a good honest answer to a question, not a lawyers answer but a good working class answer to a working class question. Were you dishonest? where is the money that you stole from the Irish people? and most of all have you no shame in what you have done to us?
We will never know these answers because these people will be never be accountable. Shame on them.
A pox on all FF, FG and Lab.
They’re as rotten as each other.
The sooner all three are booted off the electoral merry-go-round (whereby they just take turns at sticking their snouts in the trough every 4/5 yrs) the better.
Anglo’s Public Service Director, who was paid €150,000 in 2011 by THE TAXPAYER, and now we know he wasn’t working in the public’s interest. As for his fear of saying something in case it would prejudice the case against the bankers – bull. He and his cohorts were very outspoken against Quinn, and it is now emerging that he was scapegoated by them.
Why is Minister Noonan more annoyed about who leaked the Anglo tapes than their content? Is it because all the blame is being put at the bankers’ doors? The fact is the government, the Department of Finance, the Central Bank and the Financial Regulator should not have let this happen. To have a thorough banking inquiry would mean blame would be put firmly at the door of the people running this country – including ex FG leader Alan Dukes.
I can help you with those 3 questions Valentine
1 – yes i was but so was everyone else, i did not want to be left out.
2 – why spent it off course
3 – some days i think i feel a small bit of guilt but that could be indigestion. Would that count?
I think that may be wind or hot air, but never guilt.
Valentine
Good old Mary Lou and her Party were first into the Yes Lobby when they voted in favour of the Bank Guarantee in Dail Eireann. So don’t be fooled by her pretended anger. Please also remember that if she and her ilk continue to insult people like Alan Dukes and he responds with detail then the accused may be able to wiggle out of their Court cases on the grounds of predjudice and ………
Well thats a lie and you’ve been corrected on it befire. Sinn fein supported the guarantee when it protected peoples savings. Once lenihan extended it
To a blanket guarantee covering everything they quite rightly withdrew their support.
Government bullshitters on here pissing down the backs of the people and telling us that it is raining ,
I don’t know the answers, but I can hazard a guess……..1. Were you dishonest? No, not at all. 2. Where is the money you stole from the Irish people? I didn’t steal anything, and anyhow it is now in an account offshore.
3. Have you no shame in what you have done to us? None whatever, why are you asking me?
The queston that still needs to be answered is why it has taken so long for these cases to come before the courts. 5 years does not amount to careful Investigative work it amounts to utter incompetence or lets be frank, sinister motives. Is high society afraid a trial by judge and jury cannot be controlled with carefully written terms of investigation scripted by polititians as a tribunal and Oireachtas committee would have to work to ? Would a trial unravel the worlds biggest criminal enterprise ?
No doubt the Garda Commissioner and Shatter have no idea where the taped conversations with the polititans are..presumably they are in the same filing system as Shatters incident report.
The DPP know only too well the longer an investigation takes the less likely hood of it never going to court or the case being scuppered by media or minister comments as happened in the Haughey case by the Harney article published.
It is important for the nations citizens to have a robust DPP capable of making it own decisions and acting in an ethical manner free from political brinkmanship and potential political coverups or gain.
Kenny and co are now coming out with the soundbites but its pretty clear the out for personal gain ? Hard not to be cynical when you listen to the well versed political establishment impotently limping around waiting for the next 5 years to pass.Worrying, very worrying.
Let’s face it… Our country is corrupt and no one will probably see a significant time in jail or fined enough money to recoup are losses.
Why? I believe Ireland is so small that complete and total action is impossible.
Though our politicians, public sector executives, garda top brass, private sector business board members and union executives may not purposely set out to be corrupt, their ultimate actions result in corruption.
These members of the Irish ruling class are protected by laws created by them to insure that charges and prosecutions are defused before anyone can be named. It’s a form of protection that benefits only the Irish ruling class.
In countries, the US or Cananda there are strict laws that govern conflict of interest. We don’t have such laws…. And if we do, they’re ignored. For this reason loads of business deals are completed in secrecy between friends and acquaintances. Business deals that shouldn’t have initiated because of conflict of interest.
In the US and Canada, cases like our banking crises would’ve included investigations into the relationships of the main players and everyone on their staffs to determine the network of collusion. This tatic usually uncovers loads of dirt. Which, in the US and Cananda, introduces loads of defendants for prosecution.
We’ll never see anyone of substantial influence punished for business malpractice, conflict of interest or presenting false information. We need outside help!
Marlon I agree, ” we need outside help,” however the Irish need to clean their own dirty washing themselves in conjunction with “outside help.” We seriously need to wake up!
I agree… We shouldn’t have an outside entity governing us… But we do need a system in place that would permit a team of outsiders to review, recommend and demand public scrutiny of thier findings.
Key here is “public scrutiny”. It has been disclosed that prior to the bank bailout… Several outside advisors advised against the bailout. However, our government choose to ignore the advice. Our government choose to trust our very own, who appears to have given biased information, to make their decision. If this had been put before the public… I’m sure we would have chosen a different path.
Finally… I believe all parties involved in tbis crises should have their pensions and benefits frozen until the investigations, prosecutions and sentencing are complete. Should the parties be found 100% innocent of all charges… Then they would recieve all pensions and benefits with interest.
I am frustrated that the folks that caused this plight are living in splendor, as I tighten my belt more and more as the years pass.
welcome to Irelandistan ….corrupt to the core .
“can I have a brown envelope ” please
I’m with Marlon , emergency legislation to freeze assets banks account, passports revoked etc of those named thus far , I would stretch that to every present and former FF TD .
Over to you enda
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.”
Paris Hilton.
We will never see justice until we rid this country of the cartel of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour. While these parties remain in power we are only chasing our tails. We must give Sinn Fein a chance and I believe Sinn Fein in government will expose many corrupt dealings by past and present governments. It is time for change!
Four legs good, two legs bad…..
Sinn Fein have the MOST corrupt recent past of any party in the dail.
How do you come by that statement? Can you back it up?
perhaps you should read up on the history of FF and FG from the very beginning
my comment is for Dermot
Sean I have that’s why my comment says recent past.
As for backing it up, while Charlie Haughey was living the highlife at taxpayers expense, SinnFein/IRA were involved in murdering gardai, kidnapping businessmen,murdering Irish soldiers, extortion, money laundering, bank robberies, gun running (good morning Martin Ferros TD) the list goes on. All these things happened on the island of Ireland in a republic which Sinn Fein did not recognise as a legitimate state.
#Ferris
But that what all parties did at some point in history, the rising, the tan war, the civil war, the conflict, the north. But your talking about coruption thats different.
Sinn Fein was until recent times funded by monies illegally obtained. Still is according to some people, i dont know if it is or not. maybe what they did in this state wasn’t corruption, it was 100 times worse. My point still stands that when the other parties were involved in land re zoning, backhanders etc the Sinn Fein IRA were killing people in this state. They cannot now claim the high moral ground.
But you point is about coruption, not 100 timed worse, but you have no evidence of coruption
Explain…..
That was for dermott
Does killing ones political enemies not strike you as being worse than corruption? Your splitting hairs now.
Whick opponent are you accusing a sinn fein td of killing?
Keep Digging Dermot …………..woudl you like the lend of a JCB
I am referring to SinnFein/IRA as an entity involved in killing political opponents. Not individual TD’s now in the dail, although Martin ferris as a convicted gun runner must surely be considered an accessory . Sinn Fein refused to recognise the state, it’s police force or army. They murdered in cold blood members of the gardai and army.
Senator Billy Fox, a Fine Gael senator was murdered 1in 1974. Four (maybe 5) IRA men were convicted for his murder.
You guys seem to be saying that corruption is a terrible thing (which it is) but murder is alright. Sorry but I can’t agree. If Sinn Fein want to be taken seriously they need to cut the ties with those in their midst who condoned, tolerated and supplied the hardware for murders in this state. And if you think funding a party with the proceeds of bank robberies, diesel laundering etc is not corrupt you’re deluding yourself.
Nice try dermott. If you have any evidence of sinn fein killing political opponents, as you claimed,why haven’t you passed it on to the gardai?
What part of my comment about the men who killed ex td and serving senator billy fox did you not understand? They were convicted for murder. They were in the ira. they were released under the Good Friday agreement, unless you’re trying to say Sinn Fein and the ira were not joined at the hip?
its amazing , when FF/FGer’s are on the defensive , they just resort to bring up SF ,
instead of coming up with ideas to convence us as to why FF/FG are Not the most corrupt parties, and have succeeded in blowing our ecomoy into the abyss ,
change the record ,
Dermot
The last time I looked SF are the only political party with elected members in the current Dáil that have never been in Government in this country
If you take this as the one and only starting point Bobby may be onto something. Why not give them a go? After all we gave each just about everybody a go and look where it got us.
As for your linking of the current SF leadership with murders etc., were past leaders of FF, FG & Labour not convicted for acts of terrorism, if not even treason? Were FG not also associated with Fascism and still to this day carry that baggage with that time in their history?
Again Dermott, which Sinn Fein TD/TDs and which murder?
Carcu that’s why I said recent past in my original comment. RECENT past. And sean I am not an apologist for FF/FG, despite your lazy comment. While FF/FG/etc were screwing the country through the 70′s and 80′s Sinn Fein/ira/gerry Adams were killing forces representing this state or condoning such killings. Until they make a break with the past they are in no position to lecture anyone about morality or corruption.
You accused sin fein of corruption, I asked what corruption. You said killing political opponents, I asked which opponents. I also asked which sinn fein politician.
Any answers Dermott, or are you just engaging in casual defamation?
I didn’t say a Sinn Fein politician, I said Sinn Fein . Diesel laundering and defrauding the state of excise duty and using that money to fund a political party is corruption or close enough to make no difference.
I have provided the name of a political opponent of Sinn Fein whom they murdered
Ok, which political opponent did ‘Sinn Fein’ kill (you know, seeing as though a party rather than an individual can apparently kill another person)
And which individual or individuals from sinn fein carried out the murder? Seeing as though you know something the Gardai and PSNI don’t…..
LOL! Just seeing your little crawlback now ‘I didn’t say sinn fein politician, i said sinn fein’
So, you’ve absolutely NOTHING on any Sinn Fein politician in relation to the allegations you are making above. Its just the political party itself that somehow has developed the ability to carry out crimes normally carried out by human beings.
Any current members of sinn fein, not the politicians of course (because you don’t have anything except libelellous remarks against them), that you’d like to slander publically?
Let them sue me if I libelled anybody. The only name I mentioned was Martin ferris a convicted gunrunner. Gerry Adams td gave to order to abduct and kill jean mcconville according to reliable sources. Gerry Adams until recently refused to condemn the murder of Gerry McCabe.
Dessie Ellis TD was sentenced to ten years on explosives charges. He admits being in the top echelons of the IRA. That makes him complicit in murders carried out by that organisation. Unless the explosives were resting in his account and he was the only pacifist in the IRA senior command.
” Gerry Adams td gave to order to abduct and kill jean mcconville according to reliable sources. ”
Lame. I could claim that , according to reliable sources, you gave the order to kill (insert random name here)
‘Reliable sources’ aren’t alleging anything on this thread, are they. Are YOU accusing Gerry Adams of giving the order to abduct and kill jean mcconville?
I can’t understand why government can’t pass emergency laws to freeze all pensions of persons under investigation. That would make them all comply fairly quickly
Joe
Would your idea be the same as using torture to obtain admissions of guilt. Wher doe that stupidity come from Joe?
It is no more torture than CAB seizing the assets of those involved in criminality and make no mistake these people are criminals. It is these serpents that are responsible for the sovereign debt that we and our children and grandchildren are burdened with.
By the way, there is an “s” in “does”.
another government bullshitter on here people be aware . of their .lies they are all trained in the art of deception.
Teflon Dukes is a slippery customer.
It is very odd that this investigation has taken so long. So long indeed to make me suspicious that there is a reason why it has been delayed. If we ‘follow the money’ there are a number of big players in the Anglo saga. e.g. Quinn family. Now apparently duped like the rest of us and the government, central bank and regulators into believing the bank was sound. The big issue here is that the same bank gave Quinn the loan to buy their shares knowing that the bank was in deep trouble. When the bank and share value went down the toilet the same bank sought their money back. Is that not highly questionable practice. Just a point to consider perhaps. Profiting from a fraud?
Up to his neck in it was the quinns
Exactly Thomas,
When you sit back and listen to the story as if unfolds, it looks like the bank were very much involved in the scenario they would have the world believe was Quinn’s doing. How can they (Anglo ) create the problem in the first place, and then be paid huge salaries to rectify it?
Flippermac quinn may have been up to his neck in it but do you think he would invest in a bust bank or the paperwork that was put in front of him showed a profitable bank.
He is right not to comment we don’t want a Mary Harney job which made fair trial for CJH impossible
At last James a sensible comment! Well done but you are a lone voice on this site where most people just read the headline then spill their vitriol.
He is right. I hate how long this process is taking like you all, but I would rather a well constructed case to beat the perpetrators involved. These tapes could be damaging to any case the DPP brings forth.
That excuse could be used to avoid anything.
Nonsense, unless he can predict the future.
Bull.
I call it.
Odd, convenient & questionable is the timing of the release of these tapes, it is beggars belief Dukes & his FG buddies where not aware these tapes existed. Dukes was supposed to be in charge of the cleaning up of the mess that was anglo, are we to believe these tapes suddenly appeared out of someones arse when began to see FG fortunes turn in the polls.With all the alledged investigations going on into anglo it is hard to believe no one close to these investigations did not come across these tapes. Whilst not for a minute defending FF’s handling of this crisis, I tend to agree with Michael Martins assertions on the timing of the release and as time rolls on, FG’s approach generally would do Charlie Haughey proud.
I can’t sign the Revenue form and make a declaration that I will pay the Local Property Tax forever to fund these bailouts , because of the investigation and pending court cases, Mr Dukes. 302,098 others did not sign.
How come we new nothing about the tapes til the indo leaked them . I wonder would we have ever been told about them if. The the paper had not blowing the whistle . . I think not . Remember All politicians are friends . Even if thy are in different partys
Theres a lot of talk the cavan family leaked the tapes to manipulat there court case with this back,
Alan Dukes has never been shy about coming forward before. He was only to quick to speak out about anything that would insinuate that Quinn was the cause of the entire bank’s collapse.
When asked what would happen if Quinn won his case against Anglo on an Irish interview (either Primetime or Vincent Browne) in
late 2011/early2012, he was eager to let the country think that ‘that won’t happen’. Quinn was just what he was looking for. He took the focus and heat of the dirty defunct, Anglo, and Dukes was only too happy to sit back in his comfy, overpaid job and let the country and media through dirt in Quinn’s way.
Now he’s singing dumb…….Now Mr Dukes must know a few things he wishes he didn’t.
I wonder if he were asked the same question now, about whether Quinn would win his case against Anglo, would he answer with the same ‘that won’t happen’.
I doubt it Mr Dukes.
Im sorry YB but your camments are pure bulshit, only good things out of these tapes are the hole lot of them are corrupt greedy bunch from the old Anglo , quinns, FF , all trying to save there own skins, and have no respect for the irish ppl
This is the same Mr. dukes who propped up a corrupt Charlie Haughey Fianna Fáil Government some years ago and Mr. and Mrs. Joe public had to cough up as ever. He seems to thrive on doling out misery, of course, without he himself having to bear any hardship. How many pensions????
The same one. Hoever you do have to say Charlie was a dandy dresser.
With judges politically appointed and the gardai said to be secrete but top brass appointed by the government and the DPP said to be independent and the minister for justice a party politician .. NO WONDER it takes so long to take a case to an ends that most are dead like in the book bleak house . What a lot of cover up and the people and their children wait.. while the system plays with paper and tapes ………… THE LAW IS AN ASS and the tax payer is robbed and conned by the gang cartel above. Let justice be done even if the very heavens fall have you lot not heard of this,.. MAXIM in law
This sickens my fkn shit
Flippermac,
Who’s YB?
Believe what you like. You obviously know little about the entire debacle.
Time will tell a story. I hope you can listen long enough to hear it.
Yes your stop on there , the truth will come out hopefully by that time that family of cavan crooks will have paid the irish ppl back what they owe, now you run off the rest of the flock is looking for you
I think that vid spells out what a pompous arrogant c@ck dukes is.
I would like to see an investigation that includes all aspects of the banking crisis, bail outs & corporate governance, including the actions of all bank officials, politicians, civil servants, banking regulator, Irish central bank, ECB, these so called public interest directors, & the accountants who failed to notice the banks were failing and I want it NOW.
What I propose is a truth commission along the lines of what they had in South Africa, where everything is laid open in a truthful and honest way. People appearing before it will be required to provide truthful evidence without prejudice and without the need for legal representatives, as any evidence they provide cannot be used against them in court ever, as long as the evidence they give is truthful and honest in all ways.
I know all right minded people will be shocked by this. I also know the state will have to cancel the court cases before it at this time. However sending the convicted to prison will not get us the Irish people our money back, in fact it will only cost us more, about €100k odd per person convicted per year.
What we need to do now is to find out the truth. We need this truth commission to return the facts and determine if blame should be placed on individuals directly or if the blame should be placed on systems.
Once we have the truth, whatever it may be, and then the commission will;
1. Name individuals who would have been convicted in a court and make rulings that they have committed acts of financial terrorism on the people of the Irish Republic.
2. Make recommendations for changes to law or systems (banking or government), and force Government to make these legal changes as a matter of financial emergency.
3. Force Government to introduce a law that cabinet confidentiality can only be used in cases of national security such as acts of war or physical acts of terrorism carried out against the state.
4. Force Government to introduce a law ensuring no public monies of any kind or amount can be used to fund political activities or parties including election expenses of any kind except fully vouched expenses of sitting elected people, and link the expenses to the rates available to normal members of the public such as mileage.
5. Force the Government to amend “The Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour”; to ensure that civil servants serve the public first, before the Government of the day as it is now. This will also align the Code with Article 6 of the Constitution (BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN) which states; “All powers of government, legislative, executive and judicial, derive, under God, from the people, ….”
As for the guilty, if they happen to be a sitting TD let the people decide on their future at the next election, for how many good Irish men and women will vote for a declared financial terrorist? For the non-elected guilty, let them go for who will serve them a drink in a pub, who will play a round of golf, who will even want to be associated in any way with a declared financial terrorist? Anyway they will live out their lives in the knowledge that there epitaph will read, hear lays X, who committed acts of financial terrorism on the people of the Irish Republic.
For those who do not provide truthful and honest evidence to the commission, simple. They forfeit their own and their families right to citizenship of this country. Also remove all their rights and their family’s right to property ownership of any kind. They themselves will also forfeit their own right to work or be provided with any form of income from this state forever. Finally if necessary issue international arrest warrants for them on the grounds of financial terrorism. Then house them in one of our houses of detention for the a period of not less than 20 years.
‘Public interest’ director? Good one
“Fallen idol”
another pig at the trough……..disgusting individual
Well I can comment don’t jail them employ them yellow overalls a brush and a shovel let them clean the mess they have made let NAMA take there ill gotten wealth and pay them 188 euro per week if that is not justice I don’t know what to say o by the way no bus pass
LANGER!
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