Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 July 2013
220. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance if the special liquidator is in possession of all recordings-transcripts of phone calls made at Anglo Irish Bank-Irish Bank Resolution Corporation until its liquidation, as well as minutes of meetings; and, if not, if the Central Bank holds this information or if it has been submitted to the Garda as part of its ongoing investigation. [31765/13]
View answerFrom the date of the nationalisation of Anglo Irish Bank on 16 January 2009, the Minister for Finance directed the bank to co-operate with all regulatory investigations. I am advised by the bank that they are fully co-operating and in that context the Bank has provided originals and/or copies of large data sets under compulsion/court order to the Chartered Accountants Regulatory Body (CARB), Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation (GBFI), Office of Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), the then Financial Regulator (FR) and the Nyberg Banking Commission. In particular the Bank has informed me that: in 2009, the ODCE seized under Court Search Warrant approximately 3 million electronic documents and in excess of 5,000 original hard copy documents; in 2009, the FR compelled the production of approximately 45,000 hard copy documents and approximately 9 million electronic documents; the electronic material remains in the possession of the Bank as the FR investigation was deferred in 2009; in 2010, the GBFI under Court Order received significant quantities of electronic and hard copy documents and recordings requested in respect of 18 employees of the Bank whose lines were recorded; in 2010, the Bank was compelled to provide large volumes of electronic and hard copy material to the Nyberg Banking Commission; minutes of meetings as requested were provided to CARB, the ODCE, the GBFI, the Banking Commission and the FR; and in civil litigation copies of various items including certain recordings were provided to parties to such litigation. The originals of the above materials (save where seized) rest with IBRC (in Special Liquidation) and their legal advisors hold copies of certain of the materials.
I am advised that the Central Bank was not aware of the tapes or the content contained therein. The Central Bank is carefully studying the various transcripts emerging. This is something that is viewed very seriously. The Central Bank will be liaising with the Gardaí in this regard and is also examining whether or not any breaches of regulatory requirements may have occurred arising from the information contained in the transcripts.
