Sir – There may be countries where Conor Gearty’s optimism (Opinion & Analysis, July 25th) about the capacity of the judiciary to curb abuses of power is justified, but Ireland is not one of them.
From the illegal tapping of journalists' phones (1983), to widespread fraud in the beef industry (1991), poisoning people with contaminated blood (1994), abuse of planning laws (1997), evading tax through illegal offshore accounts (2002), misappropriating Fás funds (2008) and bankrupting the entire country to the tune of billions (2008), the rich and powerful here have demonstrated an uncanny immunity from prosecution. Meanwhile, about 250 people a year are imprisoned for non-payment of TV licences. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Yours, etc,
MAEVE HALPIN,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6