Court told manner in which letter was revealed is prejudicial

High Court challenge sought over claims of incorrect tax returns

The civil servant at the centre of Ansbacher claims will not now be quizzed by the Dáil spending watchdog.

A powerful Dáil committee is seeking to delete the names of politicians accused of having Ansbacher-linked accounts from the official record and haul in a TD who named them for a private dressing-down.

Lawyers for former Fianna Fáil Minister Ray McSharry have told the Public Accounts Committee it has one week to hand over the Ansbacher dossier.

The whistleblower behind the explosive Ansbacher dossier informed the Revenue Commissioners of 27 new cases of alleged tax evasion, 10 of which yielded "substantial" settlements.

The head of Revenue has said a 10-year limit on pursuing tax evaders with offshore accounts was a "very strong impediment" in prosecuting Ansbacher-related cases.

The head of the Revenue Commissioners says she is surprised by a whistleblower's claim that Ansbacher Accounts were not investigated properly.

Mary Harney has denied claims that she cancelled an internal investigation into tax evasion because it had raised allegations against one of her party colleagues.

The Revenue Commissioners say that a number of Ansbacher investigations remain open, but that it is satisfied it has fully investigated claims made about former politicians by a whistleblower.

Former tánaiste Mary Harney last night denied she halted a probe into offshore tax accounts because prominent PD Des O’Malley’s name was on a list of people allegedly involved and that every opportunity had been afforded the investigation to finish its work.

A Sinn Féin TD has used Dáil privilege to name a number of politicians she says have been named in a dossier of alleged tax evasion.

The Office of the Revenue Commissioner will be brought before the Public Accounts Committee within weeks to discuss whether it was allowed to properly examine the Ansbacher scandal.

The Public Accounts Committee is to ask for further legal advice on whether it can interview the whistleblower behind claims of income tax evasion.

The whistleblower civil servant who alleges former senior politicians were engaged in tax evasion will not be allowed give evidence before the Public Accounts Committee, TDs have been told.

Sinn Féin Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald is calling on the Taoiseach to clarify the role of Government in the handling of whistleblower allegations regarding tax evasion.

One of Ireland’s most successful property developers and the man who told the Moriarty Tribunal he never gave the former taoiseach, Charles Haughey “a penny in his life, or a pound”, has passed away.

THE most complex set of criminal investigations in the history of the State are reaching crunch time.

SOMETIMES, the circus gets out of hand. Last Sunday, a Government minister decried the slow rate of progress in criminal investigations into the banking collapse and the results from tribunal reports.

PROPERTY developer John Byrne has won a Supreme Court order overturning parts of the Ansbacher inspectors’ report into illegal offshore accounts which drew adverse inferences from his involvement with two Cayman Islands trusts.

THE Supreme Court has ruled the auditor of a company used by the late accountant Des Traynor for a “sophisticated and extensive scheme” of tax evasion by Charles Haughey and others must be disqualified or restricted in some way on grounds of unfitness.

IS it okay now to reopen my Ansbacher account?

REVENUE raked in €114 million from special investigations into tax evasions last year, more than double the 2008 figure.

A PROMOTIONS firm owned by legendary singer Joe Dolan has made a €3.8 million settlement with the taxman.

A promotions firm once headed by legendary showband singer Joe Dolan has been slapped with a €3.8m bill for unpaid tax, it emerged today.

IRISH authorities have finalised an agreement with the Cayman Islands, which will provide it with greater access to tax information on accounts held in the financial hotspot.

A TOTAL of €54.6 million was raised last year via the Revenue Commissioners’ latest round of special investigations into tax evasion.

Almost €2.5bn has been recovered from tax cheats through the Revenue’s special investigations since they began eight years ago, it was revealed today.

THE principle of following the money trail has been one of the cornerstones of criminal investigations for many years. The principle of seizing criminals’ assets is a much more recent but nonetheless effective innovation.

EVEN in the days of helicopters in the back garden, weekend shopping trips to New York, record car sales and getting the horse ready for Cheltenham, €736 million is a decent ball of cash.

THE taxman has clawed back €2.3 billion in unpaid taxes from thousands of Ireland’s richest men and women, with at least a further €245m to come.

A property development company hit with a €3.48m bill for tax evasion tonight said it was embarrassed by the incident.

Property management firms were warned today they face fines and convictions for failing to keep homeowners up to date with spending plans.

EFFORTS to root out corruption in politics are being undermined by weaknesses in legislation, according to a new report.

CORK city is to honour the distinguished judge and former Lord Mayor, Sean O’Leary who died last year.

A BUSINESSMAN linked to the Ansbacher Bank tax evasion scam has been disqualified by the High Court from acting as a company director.

OVER a 20-year period, Charles J Haughey went through £8.5 million.

EVIDENCE given to the Moriarty Tribunal by former TD Denis Foley was branded “incredible” by the inquiry’s findings.

The annual report of Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell was published yesterday with the results of his examination of the 2005 accounts of Government departments and offices.

THE Moriarty Tribunal yesterday gave details of its latest probe into possible links between former Taoiseach Charles J Haughey and the private sale of State lands in Wicklow to the Roadstone company.

A discredited former Ansbacher banker was today barred from running a business for nine years over his role in the secret investments scandal.

THE unusually tough stance adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency in the Roadstone dumping controversy will be welcomed up and down the country, especially in scenic areas where cowboy operators have been tipping waste for years.

Two connected companies involved in lucrative property and land developments and the three men who run them have been hit with a €10m bill for tax dodging, it emerged today.