Early retirements - Anglo probe must be a priority

With major questions hanging over the ongoing investigation into Anglo Irish Bank — the most serious fraud probe in the history of the State — the decision by the director of corporate enforcement Paul Appleby to reverse his earlier move to retire prematurely and stay on for six months, is to be applauded.

His impending retirement would be the most significant amid an exodus of almost 8,000 civil servants, including nurses, doctors, teachers and gardaí, who are availing of the Government’s gold-bar pension offer aimed at reducing numbers in the public service.

It took the surprise news of Mr Appleby’s departure at the end of this month to bring Government minds to focus on a serious flaw in its strategy. It was clear from the stunned reaction of ministers that the Coalition was completely unprepared for the repercussions of his decision to accept their generous offer which entitled him to a lump sum of €225,000 plus an annual pension of €73,000 following his 39 years in the civil service.

Considering the sensitivity of the Anglo affair, it was utterly unsatisfactory that the man responsible for leading the investigation should have been enabled to leave his post at barely a month’s notice. Given the inevitability that senior personnel would leave, the Government should have moved long ago to extend to six months the time required for notice of retirement at senior level so as to guarantee a seamless transition of responsibility.

Apparently Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin only heard of Mr Appleby’s decision yesterday. While Richard Bruton, the enterprise minister, was informed last Friday, this scenario reflects badly on the shortsighted nature of the modus operandi of the public service axe.

Notwithstanding Mr Appleby’s offer of future assistance if so required, and his assurance that the ongoing probe would not be adversely affected by his departure, it is hard to see how the Government could fail to foresee the need for pre-planning to guard against the sudden departure of a leading civil servant, particularly one who had overseen five strands of complex investigation.

On the face of it, this vital agency is already understaffed. Though Mr Appleby will stay on until a new director is appointed, it has emerged that the senior garda superintendent and his deputy, who were key figures in the Garda investigation at Anglo, have already retired.

Less than a week ago, the slow nature of the investigation was criticised by Mr Justice Peter Kelly in the Commercial Court, who expressed surprise that only 11 gardaí were on the investigative team.

Despite Government denials, its staff reduction strategy is also likely to wreak havoc in the health service, where 3,500 personnel are set to leave, while 2,000 will be lost in education, including 1,500 teachers, and 750 members of the gardaí also going. Against this backdrop, Coalition claims that frontline services will continue running smoothly are nonsense.

In the area of corporate enforcement, politicians have persistently failed to respond to demands for more staff. This despite mounting evidence of white collar crime in corporate Ireland.

It is vital that a new director of corporate enforcement be appointed and that investigations be accelerated so the perpetrators of suspected criminal activities at Anglo crime be brought before the courts.