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FIANNA FÁIL FINANCE spokesman Michael McGrath has said Finance Minister Michael Noonan should go before the Public Accounts Committee to answer questions on Nama.
Representatives from Nama are soon due to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over the decision to sell a huge loanbook to US vulture fund Cerberus, which has just moved against a Kerry shopping centre.
The Public Accounts Committee will meet this Wednesday, 21 September, but Nama are not officially due before it until 29 September, although many believe this will be brought forward to 22 September – this Thursday.
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan is expected to be invited before the committee on 6 October.
Last week, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said that Noonan, who oversaw the Project Eagle transaction, would co-operate fully with the PAC and offer any support to it.
Yesterday, however, Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar accused Opposition TDs of launching a “witch hunt” against the 73-year-old Limerick TD, adding that Noonan “won’t go”.
“Ministers don’t go before the Public Accounts Committee,” Varadkar added.
Key role
This morning, Fianna Fáil’s finance spokesman Michael McGrath said “of course” Noonan should attend the PAC if called.
“I think in the first instance, it’s a matter for the Public Accounts Committee to decide as to who it should invite to attend and give evidence on Project Eagle, we know that the Nama officials will be coming before them.
“It’s very much in the gift of the PAC,” he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
But if any individual is invited by PAC to attend and give evidence, then they should do so, and that includes any Minister of the Government, or indeed any executive or official in a State body.
In response to Fine Gael’s contention that ministers are only accountable to the Dáil, not the PAC, McGrath said:
“The Public Accounts Committee is a Dáil committee.
It is probably the most powerful committee in the Oireachtas, it has a key role in scrutinising the Comptroller and Auditor General reports.
“And if members of the committee feel that work will be enhanced by having the minister before them to give testimony, then I’m sure he will have nothing to fear from that. Of course [he should go].”
Worried
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, Sinn Féin’s deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald – a member of the PAC – also called for Noonan to also appear before the committee to discuss the Project Eagle sale.
“I think one of the things we will have to be quite insistent on is that Michael Noonan comes before the committee,” McDonald said.
[He] needs to present himself before the committee and, having failed to discharge his duties and halt the sale of Project Eagle, he now needs to come into the committee and give a full account as to why that was the case.I find it absolutely extraordinary that a senior cabinet minister would try to put this off.
“I would go so far as to say if Michael Noonan refuses to come before the committee it renders his position untenable.”
Statutory inquiry
Last week, the Government and Opposition parties agreed a statutory inquiry into the sale of Nama’s Northern loanbook, codenamed Operation Eagle.
The agreement comes after the publication of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General into Nama’s 2014 sale of a vast property portfolio to a US firm.
It found that the agency could potentially have lost €220 million in the Cerberus deal. Nama has rejected its conclusions.
The deal – codenamed Project Eagle – has since loomed increasingly large over the body politic of the whole island.
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How many of these were Israeli?
@Ananya Sharma: I was asking that myself
@Ananya Sharma: Russia forged 6 irish passports. Israel forged 3 irish passports. So who knows?
@Clifford Brennan: How many did the Russians kill with there ones ?
@Tony Moore: Who was killed by a passport?
@Clifford Brennan: A Palestinian leader by the Israelis carrying Irish Passports.
@Tony Moore: Tell me what you know about this “Palestinian leader”, Tony?
@Clifford Brennan:
I hope this helps.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/hit-squad-used-fake-irish-passports-26632716.html
@Tony Moore: No not at all. I asked what you knew about him, not could you copy and paste. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and suggest you look into his cofounding of the Al Qassam brigade, their suicide bombing attacks, his central role in coordinating smuggling of rockets, missiles and weapons for Hamas. The article briefly mentions his role in the kidnapping and murder of 2 soldiers. Quite a “leader” as you so gently stated.
@Clifford Brennan: Well then its ok , thought we had a problem for a second
@Tony Moore: No, no problem. Happy to help clear up your unwitting lack of info on the guy who reaped what he sowed.
@Tony Moore: “Hamas has pointed the finger at Israel, blaming Mossad – the country’s secret service – for carrying out the hit.
Lt Gen Tamim did not go as far as directly blaming Israel, but said it was possible that “leaders of certain countries gave orders to their intelligence agents to kill” the Hamas man.” No evidence that it was Israel
@Clifford Brennan: Fair enough, but remember one thing. Mossad could have used fake passports with fake identities of any nationality. They didn’t. They used copies of passports issued to Irish citizens. Drop the whataboutery and tell us whether or not you condone that.
@Clifford Brennan: Just to enlighten you if that’s possible . I served in South Lebanon. And i seen the torture your south Lebanese SLA , inflicted on ordinarily Lebanese civilians. Including an old couple who had their throats cut. So lectures from you is like advice from a supporter of the ISIS on human rights.
@Josh Gilman: your sadly and badly informed.
@Tommy Roche: Im conflicted to be honest. On one hand our passports should be left alone, on the other you’ve a guy who founded an organisation that sent suicide bombers onto buses, into cafes, nightclubs, supermarkets etc killing hundreds and maiming thousands of civilians. When he got promoted to smuggling rockets, missiles etc for Hamas, he organised it with Iran from Syria. He left the safety of Syria and got clipped. No real loss. Understandably he’s a big target.
@Josh Gilman: The point is that we just don’t know how many “Irish Passports” are being used in this type of skulduggery by the Israelis who seem to think Irish Passport holders are fair game when it comes to copying passports from this country. They don’t just make a “copy” of a blank passport they use a “live” copy from some unsuspecting Irish Citizen who’s presence in other countries is then recorded. This is the danger ..
@Clifford Brennan: knob head
300 out of how many ….
Investment in an area of national security has only happened in the last 3 yrs or so?!!! This country continues to be a banana republic run by unaccountable eejits!! Absolutely shocking.
Typical how to deal with the problem, when the horse has bolted. This security glitch was known for some time.
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