This letter appeared in the
Irish Independent Sat. 21 Aug. 2010.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/justice-demands-bankers-in-handcuffs-2306427.html
Justice demands bankers in handcuffs
Saturday August 21 2010
THE nation still waits and grows weary waiting for people to be charged for bankrupting our country.
How long does it take to read a file and make recommendations? What's the delay in assembling the evidence?
Yes, it's complex; yes, it's time-consuming -- but if there is a problem due to shortcomings in legislation or in the linking of a chain of criminal causation, the country should be told.
The endless silence is sapping the will of the people and having a corrosive effect on our democratic system.
Several people in America involved in the financial crisis of 2008 are serving jail terms.
Granted, Bernie Madoff pleaded guilty, thus saving the court's time, but much work had to be done to bring him before the court.
In this country, by contrast, no file has even been presented to the DPP.
The general consensus among the people at large is a weary shrug of the shoulders and a fatalism that white-collar crime is never punished and that this is par for the course in Ireland.
There is a storm brewing beneath the surface that will shortly explode. The only thing that's keeping the lid on it is the forlorn hope that some people in the future will be led away in handcuffs for destroying the economy and bankrupting future generations.
The Minister for Justice should give monthly bulletins on the progress of the different investigations and what the potential time span is for charges to be brought.
Talk about a whistleblower's charter will not cut the mustard. If there is evidence of criminal conduct, then people need to face trial speedily.
The old maxim that justice delayed is justice denied is a two-way street.
It was coined with the rights of the defendant in mind but it could also be read as being a comfort to innocent bystanders that they would not have to wait in perpetuity for people to face prosecution.
This is not about revenge, it's about decency and the rule of law. Attempts to spin the line that it is all behind us and so we should move on are dangerous.
The cancer that caused the patient to be put on life support needs to be cut out before the patient has any chance of healing.
Joseph Kiely
Donegal Town
Irish Independent
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