Finance officials ‘furious’

FURIOUS Department of Finance officials are contemplating legal action over leaked Anglo Irish Bank documents that imply the department backed the bank’s use of staged multi-billion euro transfers to prop up its accounts before audits.

Sources described the suggestions as a disgrace and said officials who dealt with the bank on the department’s behalf were considering defamation proceedings, fearing their integrity had been brought into question.

The contents of the internal papers were published by the Sunday Tribune newspaper, which quoted from memos, phone conversation transcripts and audit documents recording discussions between the bank and representatives of both the Department of Finance and the Financial Regulator.