350 quizzed in Anglo Irish Bank probe

MORE than 350 people have been questioned as part of the investigation into Anglo Irish Bank but there is little hope of anybody ending up behind bars any time soon.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern, in detailing the problems encountered, said 115,000 emails and documents had been seized. There had been a number of arrests.

One person who was questioned made a written statement that ran to 150 pages. And there are now 10 distinct lines of inquiry.

Mr Ahern told the Dáil Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy had regular meetings with the investigation team and he had given it absolute priority.

There are 27 gardaí and 16 staff of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement sifting through leads. The DPP has retained two senior barristers to advise him. The minister said he was not aware of any person who had failed to co-operate and there would not be a quick resolution.

“Inevitably in a case like this witness statements can be extremely lengthy. Search warrants and court orders have been executed and persons arrested. Enquiries are taking place outside the state.

“It is clear, therefore, that a huge amount of work has been undertaken. Of its nature, the investigators must follow every avenue their inquiries lead to, so it is not possible to be precise as to when their work will be completed,” he said.

Mr Ahern denied accusations from Fine Gael’s Alan Shatter that the Government had been procrastinating. “There is nobody more outraged than members of the Cabinet,” he said.

Mr Shatter said by comparison, a man was recently jailed for not paying a fine and the protester who drove a cement truck against the gates of Leinster House had been charged. He said there was a sense of outrage among the public. He questioned whether potential prosecutions had been compromised by actions of any employee of the financial regulator, the Central Bank or the Department of Finance or by a Government representative.

Mr Ahern said the delays were because it was a complex law and a unprecedented case.

“I well understand that the fury of people at what happened at the bank. What is important is that what happened is systematically and forensically investigated as quickly as possible, with a view to presenting cases to the Director of Public Prosecutions,” he said.