AIB could be forced to attend hearings

AN Oireachtas Committee is considering the use of special legislation to force AIB representatives to meet with it to discuss the recent overcharging controversies.

The Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service is also writing to bank chairman Dermot Gleeson to protest that the AIB’s chief executive, Michael Buckley, had twice snubbed an invitation to appear before a hearing yesterday.

Mr Buckley informed the committee earlier this week that AIB had a difficulty with the timing of the invitation, although the bank was happy to answer any questions on the issue. AIB claims it would be “more useful and appropriate” for such a meeting to take place after the conclusion of its own internal report into the latest banking scandals.