O Cuív asks bank chief to return €1.5m pension top-up

SOCIAL Protection Minister Éamon O Cuív has asked the chief executive of Bank of Ireland to hand back a €1.5 million pension top-up he was given last year.

Mr O Cuív said the Government did not have the legal power to force the chief executive, Richie Boucher, to give back the award. However, he said it should not have been accepted given the state of the public finances.

Mr O Cuív said that were he in Mr Boucher’s position he would volunteer to hand back the money.