St John of Greed

DOGGED investigative work by this newspaper brought to light the outrageous topup payments to executives in the St John of God charity. Chief executive John Pepper alone received more than €2million in secret payments, in just one example of the flagrant mismanagement of funds that now leaves the charity in need of urgent State funding of €10million. The money should be handed over on one condition only – when everyone who was complicit in this sorry saga has been relieved of their duties. Ireland has a tepid relationship with accountability. If the new Taoiseach wants to make an immediate mark, this wouldn’t be a bad place to start.