Minister Brian Lenihan was interviewed by Bloomberg yesterday. You can watch it here.
He’s extremely definite in his views, I’ll have to add a few quotes in the QFBL section for future reference. One in particular caught my attention. “The position with Allied Irish Bank is; it will be fully capitalised and transformed and restored into its greatness”. Poetry, minister Lenihan, poetry.
The DIRT scandal.
Foreign exchange overcharging.
Revelations of €8.6m additional overcharging on a range of products ranging from trust funds to student and graduate facilities, effecting more than 50,000 customers, following anonymous tip-offs to the Financial Regulator.
Insurance Corporation of Ireland (which, if memory serves, we’re still paying for to this day).
The findings of the Moriarty Tribunal in relation to the settling of a £1m overdraft for a Mr Charles Haughey.
Faldor Ltd and the subsequent AIB executives’ settlements with Revenue.
John Rusnak.
Greatness? Jayzuz.
More poetry from Mr Lenihan on Bloomberg (3 Minutes in): “…if you look at the fact that the banks’ balance sheets were verified by an outside statutory body …” I take this to mean NAMA – run by an ex-Irish public servant (an oyster insider), answerable only to Irish Minister for Finance. Truly poetic.