THE GREEN Party whip Trevor Sargent is proposing a constitutional amendment with a new charge of “economic treason”, to have potential retrospective effect.
“If passed, this constitutional amendment would create a new offence of economic treason for: damaging the country’s reputation; imposing an unacceptable economic cost; and especially, surrendering the economic sovereignty of the State.”
Fine Gael’s public expenditure spokesman Brian Hayes commented with some amusement: “This Government is guilty on all three accounts, as are most members of the current Cabinet.”
The Bill proposes to amend article 39 of the Constitution which currently defines treason as levying war against the State or conspiring to overthrow the organs of government by force of arms.
Mr Sargent proposed two additional subsections:
“2) Economic treason shall consist of actions that result in reputational damage for the country, an unacceptable economic cost, or a loss of economic sovereignty, for the State;
“3) Nothing in this section shall preclude the drafting of legislation applying these definitions retrospectively.”
