‘THE WHEELS of justice grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine”. No one appreciates that maxim better than Frank Dunlop, a disgraced former government press secretary who has begun serving an 18 month prison sentence, having pleaded guilty to five charges of corruption. He admitted bribing Dublin county councillors to rezone land in the Dublin area over a number of years for the benefit of developers.
Eight years ago in Dublin Castle, having previously lied in evidence to the Flood tribunal investigating planning corruption, he finally told the truth. He did so, however, only after he had failed to explain an undisclosed bank account containing large sums of money, and after Mr Justice Flood had invited him to reflect “overnight” on his position. Yesterday, Dunlop departed in handcuffs from the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in what was a remarkable fall from grace.
His prison sentence is deserved. The punishment matches the crime. It represents a measured punishment for a major crime for which a custodial sentence was fully warranted. In passing sentence Judge Frank O’Donnell said there was no such thing as a victimless crime. Dunlop’s actions had undermined public confidence in the democratic system. And, as the judge said . . . “corruption of politicians, or anyone in public life, must attract significant penalties”.
In receiving a jail term Dunlop becomes the third major political or public figure to serve a prison sentence arising from investigations by tribunals that have now been sitting for some 12 years. Ray Burke, a former Fianna Fáil minister, was jailed for revenue offences, having pleaded guilty. The late Liam Lawlor, a former Fianna Fáil TD, was jailed for failing to co-operate with a tribunal. Further prosecutions on planning matters now await a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions, with Dunlop likely to be a key witness.
The maintenance of voters’ trust in the integrity of the politicians they elect is of critical importance in a democracy. In this regard, the tribunals have played a key role in investigating and exposing corruption, and in helping to raise the standards of those in public office. The courts have shown that no one is above the law, and that there are no untouchables. Dunlop’s fate represents a deterrent to anyone tempted to think that corrupt practices will go unpunished.