Probity was truly a victim of greed

THAT former Taoiseach Charles J Haughey was a corrupting presence at the heart of the body politic is a long-established fact, but the true extent of his debasing influence has finally come to light in the damning first report of the Moriarty Tribunal.

In a series of condemnatory findings, Mr Justice Moriarty concludes that payments received by the late Mr Haughey during his political career devalued the quality of a modern democracy. The interface between politics and business was a dismal period in recent Irish history.

The perception of Haughey as a kept man is confirmed by the assertion that the disgraced ex-Taoiseach accepted cash from a golden circle of senior businessmen, in return for favours over a 17-year period. This makes a mockery of the Haughey family rejection of the conclusions as “unfounded” and “perverse”.