‘FF failed to deal with rogue bankers’

FIANNA Fáil were reluctant to bring rogue bankers to account and remained unhealthily close to the financial institutions, Green chairman Dan Boyle claimed last night.

Mr Boyle accused Finance Minister Brian Lenihan of taking Irish Nationwide’s side during the controversy over the €1 million bonus paid to its former chief executive, Michael Fingleton.

The Green senator said he received a “surreal” phone call from Mr Lenihan in 2009 in which the Finance Minister implied that Mr Boyle’s criticisms of the building society had to stop.