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The famous Anglo Irish Bank sign. The bank has since re-branded and is now known as Irish Bank Resolution Corporation. Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

Former Anglo Irish Bank to sue auditors who will 'vigorously defend' case

Ernst & Young is being sued over its involvement in the auditing of the former Anglo Irish Bank prior to it being nationalised nearly four years ago.

THE AUDITING COMPANY which is being sued by the former Anglo Irish Bank over its role with the bank prior to nationalisation by the government nearly four years ago has said it will “vigorously defend” the action being brought.

The Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), formerly Anglo, is to sue the chartered accountants Ernst & Young, confirming that it issued proceedings in the High Court on Tuesday.

The bank, which was nationalised in 2009 and will end-up costing the State close to €30 billion, says that the action relates to the role of Ernst & Young as auditors for Anglo Irish “pre-nationalisation”.

“As this matter is now the subject of litigation, it would be inappropriate for the Bank to comment further at this time,” it said.

Ernst & Young said that it was aware of proceedings but had not received a statement of claim which would set out the details of IBRC’s case and said that without such detail it would be “difficult for us to comment further”.

“We have consistently said we stand by the quality of our work performed in the Anglo audit and will vigorously defend any such proceedings,” the accountants said.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in September that IBRC had not been able to identify the exact personnel responsible for the auditing of the former Anglo Irish Bank’s accounts in 2008.

Anglo’s accounts for the financial year to September 2008 showed an after-tax profit of €664 million. These accounts were published in February 2009, a month after the bank had been taken into State ownership.

The Chartered Accounts Regulatory Board has also previously said that it intends to launch disciplinary hearings against Ernst & Young over its involvement in auditing Anglo.

Separately it has emerged in today’s Irish Times that Ernst & Young has also been appointed as auditors to the Quinn Manufacturing Group of which IBRC is a minority shareholder.

“The Bank’s on the record response is that IBRC is a minority shareholder in the Quinn Manufacturing Group and the appointment of auditors to the Group is a matter for the independent Board of Directors of that company,” a statement said.

The Department of Finance said that as the matter is now the subject of litigation it would be inappropriate to comment.

Read: Noonan: ‘We don’t know who audited Anglo in 2008′

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    Mute Yorkie1892
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    Sep 14th 2017, 11:08 AM

    Thankfully no one was killed or seriously injured! Thinking back of the 2005 crash in Meath..

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    Mute Fank Pulman
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    Sep 14th 2017, 11:07 AM

    Donegal again¡¡¡

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    Mute Jonathan Kerr
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    Sep 14th 2017, 11:36 AM

    @Fank Pulman: what do you mean donegal again? Everytime theres multiple road deaths in anyother county its, soo sad this, rip that, but as soon as its in donegal its do they even know how to drive up there? Same crap everytime with you lot.

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Sep 14th 2017, 12:29 PM

    @Jonathan Kerr: “with you lot”??

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    Mute Jonathan Kerr
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    Sep 14th 2017, 12:54 PM

    @Dave Murray: most people here making comments on the journal.ie can’t stand donegal.

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    Mute Michael Hayden
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    Sep 14th 2017, 12:57 PM

    @Jonathan Kerr: the point been made is that you complained that everyone tars Donegal with this big brush. yet you have tarred all journal commantators with the same brush. Pot kettle black sort of situation

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    Mute Jonathan Kerr
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    Sep 14th 2017, 1:31 PM

    @Michael Hayden: ok im sorry about that.

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    Mute ed w
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    Sep 14th 2017, 2:01 PM

    @Fank Pulman: what do you mean ? Plenty of road deaths this week unfortunately were you on those saying cork or mayo again.

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    Mute Fabio Dillon
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    Sep 14th 2017, 2:32 PM

    @Jonathan Kerr: for a county of a population no more than 160k…. Donegal has way too many accidents. Standards of driving and or the roads must be sub standard.

    Can’t argue with statistics.

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    Mute Fabio Dillon
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    Sep 14th 2017, 2:48 PM

    @Fabio Dillon: there were 10 fatalities on Donegal roads in ’16. 21 in Dublin. 158k ppl in Donegal and 1.8 million in Dublin.

    Donegal roads are a joke.

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    Mute Pat Troy
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    Sep 14th 2017, 11:21 AM

    Make everyone in that county resit their driving test.

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    Mute Fank Pulman
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    Sep 14th 2017, 11:27 AM

    @Pat Troy: or ban all vehicles¿!

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    Mute Noel James Doherty
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    Sep 14th 2017, 11:33 AM

    @Pat Troy: glad no one seriously injured in this incident. Jog on Pat

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    Mute Noel James Doherty
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    Sep 14th 2017, 11:42 AM

    @Fank Pulman: please explain

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    Mute Jonathan Kerr
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    Sep 14th 2017, 11:51 AM

    @Pat Troy: yes cause its not like theres car crashes in any other county in ireland.

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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Sep 14th 2017, 1:42 PM

    @Pat Troy: Or maybe fix the roads which chuck vehicles off them as soon as a wheel slips off when someone coming the other way refuses to move over.

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    Mute liosa ni chiarain
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    Sep 14th 2017, 2:40 PM

    I live in donegal the roads are the problem not the drivers , the government needs to fix our roads too many Potholes and bad attempts to fix them on the cheap rain washes the temporary fillings out of potholes, i am relived nobody injured badly.

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