Persecution rather than prosecution - Sean FitzPatrick trial

IT IS a fundamental rule of law that everyone — from prince to pauper — is entitled to the presumption of innocence and to a fair trial, no matter what criminal charges they face. 

A fair trial means fair procedure from start to finish. A defendant in criminal proceedings has a constitutional right to have their activities investigated impartially and without bias or even the appearance of bias.

In the wake of the trial — and trials — of Sean FitzPatrick, it is clear that the office of the Directorate of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) was neither impartial nor unbiased in its six-year investigation into the conduct of the former chairman and chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank. Whatever anyone may think of him, his right to a fair trial was denied.