McDonald: Taoiseach has questions to answer on tax evasion dossier claims

Sinn Féin Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald is calling on the Taoiseach to clarify the role of Government in the handling of whistleblower allegations regarding tax evasion.

A dossier given to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) this week claims several politicians used offshore bank accounts to avoid paying tax.

Last night gardaí confirmed they had investigated allegations of substantial tax evasion by senior politicians in 2007, and a file was sent to the DPP.

Deputy McDonald says the alleged failure of state agencies to fully investigate these matters is of grave concern.

“I’m calling on the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to make clear what contact had happened between the whistleblower and his government, particularly Minister Richard Bruton and the Attorney General; to make clear what action the Government took or didn’t take in response to those allegations; and to set out whether or not Minister Bruton has released a witness statement that he received from the whistleblower back in December 2012,” Deputy McDonald said.

Meanwhile it has been reported that the civil servant who provided the dossier to the PAC had a role in investigating offshore bank accounts known as the Ansbacher accounts.

The Irish Times reports this morning that the official was asked in 1998 by former Tánaiste Mary Harney to investigate tax evasion schemes.

In the covering letter of his dossier, the civil servant states that he was asked to terminate his investigations by Ms Harney in June 2004.