Ahern vows to establish corruption agency

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has pledged to establish a Corruption Assets Bureau following the publication of the Flood Tribunal’s interim report.

The report found that former Fianna Fail TD Ray Burke, who was appointed to the cabinet by Mr Ahern in 1997, received several corrupt payments during his time as a Government minister.

Mr Ahern said today that he regrets the appointment.

He also promised to set up a special agency along the lines of the Criminal Assets Bureau to recover the gains that certain people made as a result of official corruption.

He said those suspected of corruption must be held financially accountable and must face the prospect of criminal proceedings.