Anglo Chairman, Alan Dukes, has just left the Oireachtas Finance Committee meeting in Committee Room One of Leinster House. The transcript won’t be up for a while – and I’m not sure if this will get any coverage in the papers – but Shane Ross asked him some most interesting questions. The Sunday Indo journalist and Senator put it to Dukes, in no uncertain terms that recent appointees to the Anglo board were foisted on them by Government.
Paraphrasing (will link when transcript becomes available):
Ross: “Did you interview the new board members? Did you even interview [the Fianna Fail fundraiser and ‘protege’ of Charlie Haughey] Aidan Eames?”
Dukes: “Eh, well… I’m not going to answer that question”.
Ross: Why not? Why not answer that question? How much are these people being paid? How much is the taxpayer paying them?
Dukes: You can look at our annual reports for this year when they come out, I don’t need to answer these questions.
And so it went on. It’s not necessarily revealing that the appointments were government-made – they were probably chosen by Brian Lenihan, as he had the option – what’s interesting is Dukes’s refusal to answer the question; by doing so he protects the Government from criticism as he doesn’t confirm Fianna Fail appointed one of their own. Dukes being the former public interest representative on the Anglo board, remember. Gone native, anyone?
Oh, and also from the Committee Room, as RTE reports…
Meanwhile, the bank’s Chief Executive Officer Mike Aynsley said ‘the lion’s share’ of the €22bn, which will be put into the bank by the taxpayer, will never be seen again.
… Okey dokey.
This kind of In your face cronyism/nepotism/ corruption..call it whatever, is pretty much the norm in Irish politics- with all of the political parties.
Who will call a halt to it?