Criminals in white collars beware

WHITE collar criminals in Ireland face a maximum jail term of 10 years in sharp contrast with the life sentences handed down to the leading executives of Enron in the US on Thursday.

Here the Director of Corporate Enforcement, Paul Appleby, said yesterday he was satisfied with the legal framework in place to tackle white collar crime.

Despite the life sentences passed on top Enron bosses Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling Mr Appleby said the maximum 10 year sentence for Irish fraudsters, which applies in a limited number of cases, was adequate.