Court will be asked to publish reports into Ansbacher affair

The Government is to ask the High Court to publish reports produced by the inspectors investigating the Ansbacher accounts, which are widely expected to name individuals against whom evidence of tax evasion has been found.

The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, said yesterday all 120 people named in the Ansbacher report which has sparked the inspectors' investigation remained "suspects". She said: "There is no person named in the report against whom there is not some evidence and at the moment they remain suspects."

The inspectors' investigation is expected by Government sources to take three to six months and to use the report by the authorised officer, Mr Gerard Ryan, which named the 120 - described yesterday as "suspects" by Ms Harney - as its starting-point. A Government spokesman said yesterday the Government would seek publication of any interim or final reports, while the Minister of State, Mr Noel Treacy, told the Dail that the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, would make representations to this effect to the High Court. The court is entitled, but not obliged, to publish reports from inspectors.

Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships in Co Cork, Ms Harney said yesterday there was hard evidence in relation to many of those named in the authorised officer's report. She said those named on the list "either had deposits or were involved in a discretionary trust or were the beneficiaries of deposits or back-to-back loans."

She said she was very disturbed and the report made very depressing reading about what had happened in the State over 20 years.

She said she believed there was tax evasion on a massive scale, breaches of company law, breaches of exchange controls and very senior people in our society were involved. However she said it would be illegal to publish their names and, even if she did, many of those on the list would deny they had done anything wrong.

The Dail yesterday rejected a Fine Gael motion seeking the immediate publication of the 120 names in the authorised officer's report. Instead the Dail approved by 72 votes to 67 a Government amendment approving the Tanaiste's actions on the Ansbacher accounts including the appointment of the inspectors.

The Government was supported by four Independents, Mr Harry Blaney, Ms Mildred Fox, Mr Tom Gildea and Mr Jackie Healy-Rae. Labour, the Green Party, Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain of Sinn Fein, Mr Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party and Independent Mr Tony Gregory supported the Fine Gael motion.

The inspectors who will now investigate the matter were appointed under the 1990 Com panies Act. They will investigate the Irish business of Ansbacher (Cayman) Ltd to establish whether the company's business was conducted for the purposes of tax evasion, and to identify individuals involved in such evasion.

The inspectors have extensive powers that were not available to the authorised officer, Mr Gerard Ryan, who was initially appointed by Ms Harney and whose affidavit to the High Court provoked the recent controversy over the Ansbacher accounts.

They may require the production of all relevant books and documents from Ansbacher, its clients and third parties such as banks who may have information concerning its affairs. These parties are obliged by law to assist the inspectors and may be interviewed under oath.