Fingleton 'continues to co-operate'

FORMER IRISH Nationwide chief executive Michael Fingleton has expressed remorse about taxpayers’ money being used to bail out the building society, saying “everything is being done that possibly can be done by everybody concerned”.

Mr Fingleton, speaking to RTÉ News after arriving in Dublin airport from Spain yesterday expressed the remorse when pressed by a reporter. However, he refused to answer questions on whether he would repay the €1 million bonus he received from Irish Nationwide in 2008.

He said he had already made a full public statement on the matter and would not comment further on the bonus which he received just weeks after the Government introduced the State bank guarantee scheme in September 2008.

Mr Fingleton resigned as chief executive of Irish Nationwide in April 2009 after it emerged that he had received the bonus during the height of the country’s financial woes. He promised to voluntarily return the money, even though he was “entitled beyond any doubt” to receive it. He has yet to do so, despite calls by Government Ministers and the Opposition that he return it.

Mr Fingleton insisted an ongoing investigation into secret loans made to directors at Anglo Irish Bank, which were temporarily transferred to Irish Nationwide, would show the building society had no responsibility for the loans. “That’ll be made very clear that we had no responsibility for those loans,” he said. He added that he has already co-operated with investigations and “continues to co-operate in any way I can”.