TD voices ‘worries’ about IBRC bank inquiry judge

A leading TD has “worries”, because the chair of the probe into IBRC once acted against the former Anglo bank. However, Catherine Murphy, joint leader of the Social Democrats, did not call for Judge Brian Cregan to step down, though the IBRC deals cost the taxpayer €10m.

Judge Cregan acted for free on behalf of businessman, Sean Quinn, against the bank, at one court session, when he was a senior counsel in 2012.

The judge said he had told officials he had acted for Mr Quinn before he was appointed to the IBRC inquiry, which is due to deliver its final report by the end of the year. Ms Murphy said it would be difficult to find anyone without a potential conflict of interest in Ireland’s small legal pool, but she still had concerns.