Dukes did not inform inquiry of tapes ‘because he was not asked’

Former Anglo chairman Alan Dukes knew about the tapes of explosive phone calls between senior managers at the bank, but did not bring them to the attention of investigators because he was not asked about them.

Mr Dukes said the tapes were among “masses” of material given to gardaí and the Director of Corporate Enforcement from 2009 and they were also available to three inquiries by the Central Bank and state-appointed experts. However, he did not specifically highlight their existence.

“We addressed the issues that they asked us about. It’s not for me to decide how they carry out their enquiries.”

Mr Dukes said there was more to come in terms of revelations about what went on at Anglo in the run-up to the Government’s decision to introduce the blanket bank guarantee in late 2008 and during Anglo’s subsequent nationalisation in early 2009.

“There is more that the public should learn when this evidence is brought out in the course of court proceedings.”

The former Fine Gael leader — who joined the board of Anglo as one of a number of government-appointed public interest directors after the bank guarantee and later became its chairman — was fending off criticisms made in the Dáil about his efforts to safeguard the public interest during his time there. However, he said he did not have a job description and hinted at the conflict of interest that rendered such roles meaningless.

“We were given a briefing by the Department of Finance and by some legal people, but they didn’t really have a detailed road map for us or a detailed prescription as to what the job of public interest director was,” he told RTÉ. “And we were reminded, of course, that we also had the normal duty of directors of companies to the interests of the company and the staff.”

In a swipe at Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, he said he would readily take part in any banking inquiry.

“As far as any future inquiry is concerned — and I will say this for the particular attention of the Tánaiste who seems to imply yesterday that there was some reluctance on my part to engage — if and when any other inquiry is set up, I will of course participate fully in it, if invited.”

Mr Dukes was one of 12 public interest directors appointed to six banks, collectively earning payments of over €2m, despite never providing briefings to ministers. Following mergers and closures in the banking sector, just four remain, two at AIB and two at Bank of Ireland.