Quinn alleges offshore accounts cover-up

The leader of the Labour Partyi Quinn, yesterday has accused the Government of a cover-up for failing to include the Ansbacher…

The leader of the Labour Partyi Quinn, yesterday has accused the Government of a cover-up for failing to include the Ansbacher offshore accounts in the terms of reference for the Moriarty tribunal.

Mr Ruairi Quinn yesterday said the Government, aided and abetted by the "strident Progressive Democrats party of righteousness" - which had lost its voice since being seduced into office - and the Independents had decided not to include an investigation of the Ansbacher accounts in the terms of reference so that the public would not learn of the identity of people who had availed of these offshore accounts to evade their legal tax.

Speaking to journalists while on the Limerick East by-election campaign, he said the Tanaiste, Ms who had stated her Inspector would be looking into these accounts, but under law he was not allowed to publish them unless he took a prosecution and even then the decision would be left to the DPP. "We know for a fact that this Government has decided to cover up on the Ansbacher accounts," he alleged.

Mr Quinn said the Government had twice rejected amendments put down by Labour and the Opposition parties to include these accounts.

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"Anybody who saw Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy on television on Thursday night would have had their worst suspicions confirmed, not only that there was a cover-up but there was a certain complacency among Fianna Fail supporters on this issue and that they have known about this carry-on for some time," he said.

On the allegations on RTE of the National Irish Bank encouraging people to evade tax, Mr Quinn called for an immediate investigation. Stressing they were only allegations at this stage, he said they were coming from somebody who allegedly worked in that bank and who had by RTE's evidence claimed and suggested that the bank was aware of this and associated with this exercise.

He said extra powers should be given to the Central Bank to ensure information would be disclosed on financial institutions and individuals to tribunals of inquiry set up by the Oireachtas.

The leader of Democratic Left, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, referring to the NIB controversy, said there had to be a change in the way the Central Bank controlled operations, as in law it had a responsibility to regulate banks "and they have clearly failed to do this". In Limerick for the by-election campaign, he suggested there had been a dereliction of duty on the part of the Central Bank and the Government would be embarrassed if it had to put the Ansbacher accounts into the Mori arty tribunal because of the names it might reveal.