It is very welcome that Justice Minister Alan Shatter has supported the view offered by the outgoing director of corporate enforcement, Paul Appleby — retiring at 58 — that the time allowed to question those arrested during an investigation needs to be extended.

An auditing chief has been appointed to fill the role of the outgoing director of corporate enforcement, Paul Appleby.

Ian Drennan has been named as the new Director of Corporate Enforcement.

Embattled TD Mick Wallace could still face investigation by the corporate enforcement watchdog over his failure to declare €1.4m in Vat owed by his construction firm.

Every now and then an event, an issue, a business collapse or an episode of wrongdoing comes to light that challenges the very notion that this is a society where the rule of law represents justice, that social cohesion and responsibility mean something beyond being hollow ballast for politicians’ hired speech writers.

Necks stretched and muffled whispers filled courtroom number one as a smartly dressed ex-banker was brought up from a holding cell.

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

The two main criminal investigations into business practices at the former Anglo Irish Bank are almost complete.

The Director of Corporate Enforcement Paul Appleby has said his investigation into Anglo Irish Bank is nearly complete after sending more files to the DPP.

WHEN Paul Appleby dropped the unexpected bombshell last January that he was taking early retirement, the Government went into a state of panic.

Paul Appleby did not get anything above what he was entitled to in an agreement with Government to stay on as Director of Corporate Enforcement, according Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton.

The man spearheading the investigation into Anglo Irish Bank, Paul Appleby, secured a bumper €300,000 pension deal by resigning as director of corporate enforcement the day before retiring from the civil service.

Director of Corporate Enforcement Paul Appleby attempted to boost his State pension by requesting that it take into account a period he worked in Ryanair in the late 1980s.

Richard Bruton knew a full two weeks before he told the Cabinet that the Director of Corporate Enforcement was planning to retire.

It’s not so very long ago, when Iceland was in turmoil, that the champions of official Ireland protested their outrage at a simple little joke that highlighted our squandered independence.

An investigation into Vita Cortex’s refusal to pay redundancy to 32 workers will not be possible, the Taoiseach told the Dáil.

The Vita Cortex workers have vowed to continue their sit-in despite threats of legal action.

The length of time being taken on the Anglo Irish Bank investigation is deeply worrying. It is to be hoped that everything is being prepared properly to ensure that any prosecutions are warranted and, given the cost involved in the three-year investigation, then successful.

The Government insists there will be no other special arrangements put in place to hold onto senior public servants after striking a retirement deal with the director of corporate enforcement.

The Government has been forced to break the rules of its early retirement scheme in order to save the inquiry into Anglo Irish Bank from a major setback.

With major questions hanging over the ongoing investigation into Anglo Irish Bank — the most serious fraud probe in the history of the State — the decision by the director of corporate enforcement Paul Appleby to reverse his earlier move to retire prematurely and stay on for six months, is to be applauded.

The country’s top white-collar crime watchdog who announced his retirement today has been forced to make a dramatic u-turn under intense pressure from the Cabinet.

The Director of Corporate Enforcement Paul Appleby, who announced his retirement earlier today, has now decided to remain on in the job for another six months, following talks with the Government.

The country’s top white-collar crime watchdog has insisted investigations into rogue operations at the former Anglo Irish Bank will not be disrupted by his early retirement.

The director of corporate enforcement Paul Appleby has announced he is to retire at the end of next month.

THE Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) is to send further papers regarding its probe into Anglo Irish Bank business practices to the DPP “in a matter of weeks”.

The Director of Corporate Enforcement Paul Appleby said today that his office is now focusing on the final two strands of the investigation into Anglo Irish Bank.

The former finance director of Anglo Irish Bank has been arrested by fraud squad officers investigating alleged financial irregularities at a bank.

A THIRD investigation file on the Director of Corporate Enforcement Paul Appleby’s investigation into the €30 billion collapse of Anglo Irish Bank has been submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

A third file on suspected fraud at rogue lender Anglo Irish Bank has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

ONE of the golden circle of businessmen purportedly lent a combined €451 million by Anglo Irish Bank to buy Sean Quinn’s shares has been ordered to provide information to a fraud investigation.

One of the golden circle of businessmen lent money by Anglo Irish Bank to buy shares in the rogue lender has been ordered to help a fraud investigation.

Ireland’s rogue lender Anglo Irish Bank has dramatically reduced losses to just more than €100m, down from the record-breaking figures it suffered last year.

MORE than 10 individuals are still refusing to co-operate fully with the long-running investigation into the collapse of Anglo Irish Bank.

DIRECTOR of Corporate Enforcement Paul Appleby has admitted work by his office was “subdued” last year as a result of its investigation into Anglo Irish Bank.

WHEN he introduced the Criminal Justice 2011 Bill to the Dáil some weeks ago Justice Minister Alan Shatter promised that the legislation would “put an end to any hint of a culture that suggests the white collar criminal is a protected species”.

Investigations into the Anglo Irish Bank scandal are being hampered by a small number of reluctant witnesses who include former banking executives.

The Director of Corporate Enforcement has said the time it is taking to complete the Anglo Irish Bank investigation reflects the scope and complexity of the inquiry.

PUBLIC disciplinary tribunals into three bankers linked to Anglo Irish Bank have been adjourned over concerns they could prejudice any future criminal proceedings.

THE Director of Corporate Enforcement Paul Appleby has said that his office’s ongoing investigations into the business practices of Anglo Irish Bank are progressing well and should be completed by the end of this year.

More than 8,500 pages of documents on scandal-hit Anglo Irish Bank have been handed over to State prosecutors by the country’s corporate watchdog.

The Director of Corporate Enforcement said today that it will be some time before the DPP can decide if there will be any charges arising from the investigation into Anglo Irish Bank.

THE Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) has said that a final determination from the ongoing investigations into the business practices of Anglo Irish Bank is still a long time off, as more information is due to be given to the Director of Public Prosecutions on the matter.

Former top Anglo employees who refuse to hand over computer passwords should be sued, it was claimed today.