A High Court judge has expressed his concern that evidence from the various tribunals may be damaging Ireland's reputation abroad.
Mr Justice Smith, who is chairman of the Standards in Public Office Commission, says the damage is reflected in the fact that Ireland now ranks 23rd on the Corruption Perception Index, behind Chile and Hong Kong.
Writing in the current issue of Public Affairs Ireland magazine, Mr Justice Smith says tribunal evidence has also provided the basis for statements in a 2002 Joseph Rountree Charitable Trust report that corruption is a central theme of Irish life and politics and that Ireland is now regarded as one of the more corrupt European states.
"I have great difficulty in accepting either contention," he writes. He calls for emphasis to be put on the positive steps which have been taken and for the events being examined by tribunals to be put in their proper context.
The judge also points out that GRECO - the group of states against corruption, operating under the auspices of the Council of Europe - has concluded that Ireland is one of the states it examined least affected by corruption.
Mr Justice Smith's remarks come in the same week that the Law Reform Commission urged tribunals to concentrate on finding out what happened, why and how it could be avoided in future, rather than on "naming and shaming" individual wrongdoers.
Judge Smith writes in Public Affairs Ireland, published today: "Evidence from the tribunals can be damaging when it comes to sustaining Ireland's reputation as a country where it is possible to conduct business in an environment which is not tainted by corruption."
The development of legislation in recent years aimed at maintaining high standards in public life had been "hugely impressive", he writes, citing the Ethics in Public Office Act, the Standards in Public Office Act and various Electoral Acts. But this was not widely appreciated, according to the judge.
"To a great extent they appear to have been overshadowed by events at the various tribunals of inquiry which, for the most part, have been dealing with occurrences which predate the legislation in question."
The Standards in Public Office Commission was set up in 2001, with a remit to supervise the working of the Ethics in Public Office Act, the Standards in Public Office Act and the various Electoral Acts, ensuring that public representatives and officials declare their interests and that limits in political funding are adhered to.
Mr Justice Smith is its first chairman.