The Mahon Tribunal is the longest running, most expensive legal process in the history of the state.
It was established back in 1997, dealt with bribes and payments in relation to planning issues
The Moriarty Tribunal, established in 1997, investigated payments by Ben Dunne to, among others, CJ Haughy - who is dead, and Michael Lowry , ex FG TD - still in office and now supporting an FF Government.
By the time this is done, no-one involved at a senior level will still be in office. Final reports keep being delayed, and their is no end in sight with little or no accountability.
People like Ray Burke, the man who gave away our most lucrative natural resource, Bertie Ahearn and several politicians from the two main parties have been implicated.
However, it is my opinion that unless reports are published soon, and prosecutions are bought, the Tribunal has outlived its usefulness and is simply an overpriced quango.
I do think it was an astute political move to establish the Tribunals as they drag out and run into each other.
It leads to a wave of informatio that overwhelms the public, and is confusing with different references to different tribunals in the media.
What we really need is an anti-corruption office, dealing with these issues as they arise.
Tribunals should be given strict time frames when they are established.
What bothers me most is that we should simply apply existing anti-corruption legislation.
We have an established legal system, the Tribunals are being used to circumvent this, action is not taken as it is said this will affect the outcome of a Tribunal.
Why do we have a court system then?
The greatest detererent to corruption is to ensure that anyone in public office found guilty of corruption, or recieving illegal payments, or using their office to enrich themselves, should be disbarred from public office and lose pension rights earned while in public service.
Free Blog Counter
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Eoin Ryan EBRD, and the usual crony corruption
FORMER FIANNA Fáil MEP and minister of state Eoin Ryan got a great runner up prize from Brian Linehan - a gift from one 3rd generation politico to another.
He has been appointed as an alternate director on the board of the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Eoin lost the European Parliament seat he first won in 2004 lost in last year’s election to Joe Higgins, of the Socialist Party.
This despite being the top spender in the elections in the Republic, with expenses of almost €215,000.
He will now serve a three-year term at an annual salary of €125,614.
He replaces the very impressive Anne Counihan, UCD graduate, a solicitor both in Ireland and England, a graduate of the advanced management programme at Harvard Business School, a former member of the Irish Aviation Authority Board and the board of Bord na Móna for five years.
She is also president of the Corporate and Public Lawyers Association, the main Irish association of in-house lawyers.
Eoins main qualification is that he comes from a family steeped in Fianna Fáil.
His father was a Senator, and FF's director of elections in the 1977 general election.
His grandfather was a cabinet minister in various Fianna Fáil governments.
Eoin was educated at St. Mary's College, Rathmines, College of Commerce, Rathmines and Kildalton Horticulture College, County Kilkenny.
He was elected to Dublin City Council in 1985.
In 1989 he was elected to Seanad Éireann.
In 1992 he was elected to Dáil Éireann and again in 1997.
In 1999 he was made Minister of State with responsibility for National Drug Strategy.
In 2004 he was elected to the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency.
The bank in was established in 1991 to help develop a new private sector in the countries of the former Soviet bloc - i.e. outsourcing to cheaper wage zones.
We have economists, and unemployed trained bankers in this country - people far more qualified for the position.
Why can we not have Oireachtas approval hearings?
We should at least to ensure that important appointments will be for the benefit of the state as opposed to party hacks.
But for Eoin it is a nice little earner
Free Blog Counter
He has been appointed as an alternate director on the board of the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Eoin lost the European Parliament seat he first won in 2004 lost in last year’s election to Joe Higgins, of the Socialist Party.
This despite being the top spender in the elections in the Republic, with expenses of almost €215,000.
He will now serve a three-year term at an annual salary of €125,614.
He replaces the very impressive Anne Counihan, UCD graduate, a solicitor both in Ireland and England, a graduate of the advanced management programme at Harvard Business School, a former member of the Irish Aviation Authority Board and the board of Bord na Móna for five years.
She is also president of the Corporate and Public Lawyers Association, the main Irish association of in-house lawyers.
Eoins main qualification is that he comes from a family steeped in Fianna Fáil.
His father was a Senator, and FF's director of elections in the 1977 general election.
His grandfather was a cabinet minister in various Fianna Fáil governments.
Eoin was educated at St. Mary's College, Rathmines, College of Commerce, Rathmines and Kildalton Horticulture College, County Kilkenny.
He was elected to Dublin City Council in 1985.
In 1989 he was elected to Seanad Éireann.
In 1992 he was elected to Dáil Éireann and again in 1997.
In 1999 he was made Minister of State with responsibility for National Drug Strategy.
In 2004 he was elected to the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency.
The bank in was established in 1991 to help develop a new private sector in the countries of the former Soviet bloc - i.e. outsourcing to cheaper wage zones.
We have economists, and unemployed trained bankers in this country - people far more qualified for the position.
Why can we not have Oireachtas approval hearings?
We should at least to ensure that important appointments will be for the benefit of the state as opposed to party hacks.
But for Eoin it is a nice little earner
Free Blog Counter
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
