Government gets tough on white-collar crime at last

TOUGH new laws to target white-collar crime and corruption are expected to be approved by the Government today.

Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan will seek approval to draft the text of the Criminal Justice Corruption Bill which has been on the ‘shelf’ for the past five years. It will include provisions to allow a court to remove a serving TD or office-holder – including ministers – where they have been convicted of corruption.

The Bill is also expected to include measures that allow for a presumption of guilt where an official has received donations, gifts or unexplained wealth in excess of what they have declared to the watchdog.

Companies and their directors could also be held to account for corrupt payments, while there are expected to be plans to create new offences of trading in influence and reckless payments to officials.

Convictions could result in stiff penalties of up to ten years in prison, and unlimited fines.

The courts could also be given new powers to remove public officials from office and to exclude them from holding office for up to ten years.

It is expected additional measures to tackle white-collar crime will be announced upon the return of the Dáil, sources have said. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is said to be keen to find ways to tackle white-collar crime and the drafting of the legislation is ‘kicking this process off’.

The existing laws on corruption include statutes dating back to the late 19th century, and the new legislation has been considered as vital to overhauling the way white-collar crime is dealt with.

The Justice Minister is also expected to bring a memo to Cabinet on how much the Disclosures Tribunal has cost to date and how much it is likely to cost. A source said the figure is ‘less than expected’ and ‘certainly less than other tribunals to date’.