Gardai should be doing the work of the Tribunals

[stanley]

Gardaí should be doing the work of tribunals; at a fraction of the cost | Irish Examiner


Ryle Dwyer of the Examiner writes a very good article on the above, he takes Callely, Burke and Ahern apart.

Whilst reading the article it becomes obvious that the above 3 are all from the Northside of Dublin and when you include Lawlor and Haughey you have a full hand of the most corrupt in FF over the last 15 years, what is it in DNS is there something in the water.

Each one of them a protege of the other, Haughey excepted, all crossing over each other as their greediness grew and grew, no problems stabbing each other out of the way.

It is sickening to read of Burke and his now easy lifestyle off the State, would be wonderful if Kenny/Regan/Varadaker would state they will review his case, at least take his bleedin Dail pensions off him as payback for his corruption, another poster on here, Anorakphobia has commented many times how Burke breezes about Drum as if nothing had ever happened.

Whether the politically appointed Gardai could take on this work is highly debatable, FF'ers never seem to be bothered about them, they always sidestep them quite easily, the pint or a transfer culture is well ingrained.

[cricket]

Read that over the muesli this morning , well argued case.

[Pauli]

You should know by now that Ireland is a country of selective law enforcement.

[The OD]

Gardaí should be doing the work of tribunals; at a fraction of the cost | Irish Examiner

Whilst reading the article it becomes obvious that the above 3 are all from the Northside of Dublin and when you include Lawlor and Haughey you have a full hand of the most corrupt in FF over the last 15 years, what is it in DNS is there something in the water.

I couldn't say, however, thanks to the brave and unselfish diligence of Bertie, we can rule out there being anything up the trees.

[DCon]

Very good article

Although the country is being run like a banana republic, we are supposed to be a real republic in which laws should be applied equally to all.

The whole series of tribunals in the past 25 years have been an extravagant testament to the fact that our politicians have acted as if An Garda Siochána has no right to investigate criminal behaviour by politicians unless invited to do so by the Government. This is an affront both to the gardaí and our whole system of government. It suggests gardaí are not capable of functioning properly and politicians are incapable of reforming the system.

Burke's payments are outrageous

Burke pleaded guilty in 2004 to making an improper tax return and was sentenced to six months in jail.

He served four-and-a-half months and got out early "for good behaviour." The same year he still got his state pensions. He is currently receiving more than €100,000 a year in state pensions. Maybe he should get the old age pension, but that is it.

He has been rewarded with more than €500,000 since his conviction. Every year at least three young people will have to emigrate to reward Burke for his despicable behaviour. This is an outrage.

[Tomas Mor]

Garda do not have power to compel people to answer questions, or produce documents the way Tribunals do. Tribunals despite cost and time are very useful. Does anybody believe Garda would have got to the bottom on Haughey, Ansbacker, Berie etc. Bear in mind a garda enquiry into Ray Burke in the 1970s exonerated him and rounded on those who made the accusations !

[pujols]

We could consider some sort of investigating magistrate like they have on the continent. I think that they powers to compel interviews, issue subpoenas etc. At least you might not have to worry about paying for lawyers for everyone interviewed etc and dragging it out forever. Not sure if there would be a constitutional issue there but presumably that could be got around.

[Garland Names the Skies]

We could consider some sort of investigating magistrate like they have on the continent. I think that they powers to compel interviews, issue subpoenas etc. At least you might not have to worry about paying for lawyers for everyone interviewed etc and dragging it out forever. Not sure if there would be a constitutional issue there but presumably that could be got around.

There would be a problem. Ireland is a common law juristiction rather than a civil law one. The judiciary are trained to arbitrate not investigate.

[Libero]

Dwyer gets things the wrong way around.

There was next to no chance of any criminal prosecutions arising from the subject matter of the Mahon Tribunal. The evidence wasn't there, and the main movers were never going to implicate themselves.

The mechanisms of the Tribunal allowed its investigators to do what the Gardai never could: demand documents, conduct intensive cross-examinations with answers compelled from the witness, and above all, go on a general trawl and see what it threw up.

As a result, a lot of wrongdoing was exposed: stuff that was never otherwise going to result in more than a fairly bare-arsed file to the DPP.

That said, the current Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation doesn't appear to show much hunger for its caseload, whether it's the relatively minor (Callely) or stuff to do with the destruction of the state (Anglo Irish Bank). Maybe they'll prove me wrong in time, but the clock is ticking.

[stanley]

I couldn't say, however, thanks to the brave and unselfish diligence of Bertie, we can rule out there being anything up the trees.

I take your point about the aerial route, but still wonder about the bad boy FF concentration on the Northside, is it because when the English left the civil servants were all living on the Southside near their masters and thereon when culchies arrived they congregated on the Northside, Haugheys from Mayo, Aherns from Cork and set up Cumanns like at home.

Is the divide more than a bleedin river.