The Moriarty tribunal has paid out almost €300,000 in “plaintiff legal costs” for Padraig Collery, a former Guinness & Mahon banker who was found to have lied under oath to the inquiry into payments to politicians.
The tribunal was established 27 years ago this week but it has still not closed despite concluding its final report in 2011. “Arrangements continue for the full and final wind-down of the tribunal,” the Department of the Taoiseach said in reply to questions.
The €295,094.22 payment in May for Mr Collery’s costs came more than 17 years after stark criticism of his conduct in the tribunal’s first report, which dealt with secretive multimillion-pound payments to the late Charles Haughey at the height of his political career. He served four terms as taoiseach between 1979 and 1992.
“None of these fees were paid to me personally, I know nothing about it,” said Mr Collery when asked for comment. “Personally myself, I made no submission for claims to the tribunal.”
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The payment was set out in response to questions to the Government. The department said it had no control over third-party legal costs incurred by the tribunal, adding that it was “not possible” at any particular time to predict the timing or cost of settlements.
“Settlements are processed and paid by the Legal Costs Unit, State Claims Agency, and reimbursement is then sought by the State Claims Agency from Department of the Taoiseach.”
Mr Collery, a banking software expert, worked as an assistant at Guinness & Mahon to the late Des Traynor, a director and later deputy chairman of the bank who was Mr Haughey’s long-time accountant.
He was a close associate of Mr Traynor when he was the main representative in Ireland for Ansbacher (Cayman) Ltd, the Cayman Islands company at the centre of Ansbacher tax evasion scheme. After Mr Traynor’s death in 1994 he ran the remaining aspects of the scheme.
As a result of a High Court inspection into Ansbacher, he was disqualified in March 2006 from being involved in the management of any company for nine years. He was also disqualified as a director but was not a company director.
In its first report in December 2006, the tribunal found Mr Collery lied under oath when he attributed an account to the late John Furze, the joint managing director of the Ansbacher company. The account was in fact owned by the late Denis Foley, a former Fianna Fáil TD in Co Kerry.
Mr Justice Moriarty found Mr Collery “wilfully gave evidence to the tribunal which was material to the inquiry which the tribunal was making, and which he knew to be false or did not believe to be true”.
The judge added: “By omitting to inform the tribunal of the information concerning the identity of entities or names connected with the Ansbacher accounts, which he obtained on his visit to the Cayman Islands in August, 1998, Mr Padraig Collery obstructed or hindered the tribunal in the performance of its functions, namely inquiring into the overall operation of the Ansbacher accounts, and in particular with respect to whether any payment was made from the Ansbacher accounts to any holder of public office.”
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