Oireachtas probe before criminal trials ‘foolish’

Holding an Oireachtas probe into the banking collapse before criminal trials take place would be “foolish”, former DPP James Hamilton has warned.

The respected legal figure said evidence given to the planned Leinster House probe could be used by those accused of criminal offences to claim they could not get a fair trial.

“The big difficulty, of course, is that if you do have an inquiry coming closely in advance of a trial, you will very much strengthen the argument of defendants that the atmosphere is such that they cannot receive a fair trial,” he told RTÉ.