Madam, – PJ O’Meara in his Opinion piece (August 25th) states that “media reports” that the Revenue Commissioners had made a deal with Allied Irish Banks regarding their Dirt liability, occurred in October, 1998.
This story was reported in the Sunday Independentthe previous April under the front page heading "AIB had £600 million in bogus accounts". The report stated: "The problem for AIB was so acute that it promised the Revenue Commissioners to make a 'determined effort' to clear up the problem by April 1990. But almost a year later the Revenue Commissioners gave the banks a further 'amnesty' until June 1991."
Without taking away from the good work of Jim Mitchell and his committee and advisers, it took six months and not “days” before the Dáil Public Accounts Committee raised this issue with the Revenue Commissioners. – Yours, etc,