Chasing the truth in tortuous DIRT row

John Purcell could never have expected that being Comptroller and Auditor General would make him a household name. Nor, by all accounts, would he have welcomed such a development. But after four years of quietly getting on with the job, this career public servant suddenly finds himself centre stage as the investigation into the alleged DIRT scandal in the banking sector moves into a new phase.

When legislation is passed giving him the powers he needs to get to the bottom of the affair, Mr Purcell will have 10 to 12 weeks to establish the extent to which tax was evaded by the use of bogus non-resident deposit accounts, and how much the Revenue Commissioners knew about it.

And that, according to one politician who knows Mr Purcell well, means a report will be delivered within 10 to 12 weeks and no longer.

Fianna Fail TD Mr Denis Foley, a former chairman of the Dail Committee of Public Accounts, which works closely with the Comptroller and Auditor General, says Mr Purcell is "one of the most efficient, if not the most efficient, public servants that I have come across in my life in politics.

"If he's asked to do a job in a limited timeframe you can be sure he will do it in that time."

As Comptroller and Auditor General - he will be exactly four years in the job next weekend - Mr Purcell, who recently turned 51, spends much of his time at his Dublin Castle office directing the hundreds of investigations carried out by his 130 staff. He also attends each meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts, which examines the reports furnished by Mr Purcell to the Dail. His office is independent and derives its primary authority from Article 33 of the Constitution which states that "there shall be a Comptroller and Auditor General to control on behalf of the State all disbursements and to audit all accounts of monies administered by or under the authority of the Oireachtas".

His staff audits 318 accounts across a range of State activities including Government Departments and offices, non-commercial State-sponsored bodies, third-level colleges, VECs, health boards, public hospitals, the Central Bank and the National Treasury Management Agency.

"Value-for-money" reports into how efficiently these organisations discharge their duties are carried out at his office's discretion.

Now, for the first time, Mr Purcell's remit is to be extended to allow him to investigate specific cases outside the public service.

In this instance, the financial institutions concerned can expect a rigorous examination of their records. "I would have confidence that he will follow this to the bitter end. That is my gut feeling about him," says a former Committee of Public Accounts member, Labour deputy Mr Tommy Broughan.

Civil servants hold a similar view. Although some of his staff are based full-time in the Government agencies which they investigate - acting as Mr Purcell's "eyes and ears", according to one Department spokesman - there is no hint of a cosy relationship.

Although considered a hard worker, Mr Purcell does find time for an occasional round of golf and can be seen at Croke Park cheering on the Dublin football team. He is married with three children.

Almost his entire career has been spent in the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, where he has risen steadily through the ranks to the £91,500-a-year post he now holds.

Although the legislation expected to be passed shortly will give him sweeping new powers, including the right to compel the production of documents and files from financial institutions and take evidence under oath, the Committee of Public Accounts is anxious to ensure these powers are not abused in the future.

The DIRT investigation has cross-party support, but the committee chairman, Mr Jim Mitchell, said it was important to ensure that the Comptroller and Auditor General's office could not be politicised.

To guard against this, the new legislation will include a provision that similar investigations by the office in the future can be requested only where there is a "broad consensus" in the Dail.