Micheál Martin has described as ‘extraordinary’ the Taoiseach’s refusal to confirm today that the Department of Finance and his own department knew nothing about the legal concerns until they met the Judge last Thursday.
Deputy Martin commented, “This is just not credible given these issues were reported on last August in a national newspaper.
“We also know that the Department of Finance were reluctant to release any information even when the allegations on write downs were made at the beginning of this year. They were then dragged kicking and screaming to an independent inquiry in the public interest, and we now find that they will not even waive privilege with their own documents despite the fact that this is a government inquiry into a state owned Bank’s sales.
“Given that these issues were being reported in the national media and given that the Government itself was refusing to waive privilege, the Taoiseach is really stretching credulity to suggest that concern about the issue of privilege came as a surprise late last week.”
