Consultants paid €34m for advice on banking bailouts

CONSULTANTS were handed €34 million to advise the Government and state agencies on the banking bailouts, it was revealed yesterday.

But despite the hugely lucrative contracts, there are no detailed receipts of work provided by top legal and accounting firms as well as some of the biggest names in global finance.

Officials told the state’s public spending watchdog the consultants were not asked to vouch for their costs because of the urgency of the crisis.