Sir, – This country has spent an enormous amount of money on exhaustive tribunals of inquiry that behaved as a tightly closed shop, had no procurement procedures and whose extravagant spending was not subjected to either independent validation or expert oversight. Compared to other jurisdictions our authorities demonstrate little capacity to speedily and successfully prosecute white collar crime, although special investigations by the Revenue Commissioners have yielded €43.04 million in tax payments from 28 cases connected to the Mahon and Moriarty tribunals.
The scale of loss, the impact on public confidence, the practical consequences of fraud and bribery on the lives of ordinary citizens, the effect of fraud, bribery and corruption on the reputation of Ireland as a safe place to conduct business, the underlying complexity and the secrecy that is inherent in corrupt transactions ought to prompt a far more robust and vigorous approach to the investigation and prosecution of white collar crime.
The recently collapsed corruption trial involving former politicians and a businessman had been heavily dependent on the evidence of a key witness. Should there not be a designated national reporting point for allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption that is available to the public so that the pool of evidence in such cases is enhanced and the public becomes more alert to the incidence of corruption?
Observations by individuals, based on their knowledge, insight and experience that something is not quite adding up could become valuable information leading to the thorough investigation and successful prosecution of white collar criminals. But it is up to the authorities to facilitate this by showing clear leadership and educating the public on how to recognise the indicators; how to report fraud, bribery and corruption and for juries to understand the issues.
The Serious Fraud Office undertakes this role in the UK. The cost of prosecuting fraud cases there last year was equivalent to €0.74 per person in Britain. The cost of the Moriarty and Mahon tribunals, are of the order of €366 million, equivalent to €80 per person in Ireland and there has only been a single conviction for planning corruption. There urgently needs to be zero tolerance of white collar crime or the fuzzy excuses for not dealing with it effectively and conclusively. – Yours, etc,
MYLES DUFFY,
Bellevue Avenue,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.