Seanie Fitzpatrick Arrested!

[joeSoap]

I see they are finally doing something about

See here (http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/former-anglo-chief-fitzpatrick-arrested-by-fraud-squad-2103443.html) :D

[John83]

My little brother, who knows his stuff when it comes to banking, reckons they won't have enough to actually convict him. I doubt that'll be a popular outcome if he's right.

[Macy]

Aren't Anglo due to release their results (aka their losses) this week? Only a coincidence that Seanie gets arrested this week too. Wasn't it around Anglo results time last year that the cops took some remaining unshredded documents from Anglo HQ?

[Fr Damo]

My little brother, who knows his stuff when it comes to banking, reckons they won't have enough to actually convict him. I doubt that'll be a popular outcome if he's right.

I'd be more surprised if he get's bird to be honest. What fingers fingleton appears to be worse (fast tracking loans via phone calls etc) I'd perfer him to be destitute than serve time anyway.

[dahamsta]

I'd prefer both.

[Macy]

I'd actually prefer they went states evidence, spilled beans and told us where the FF bodies are buried.

[joeSoap]

Fcuk the bodies...where's all the missing loot???

[gspain]

I'd actually prefer they went states evidence, spilled beans and told us where the FF bodies are buried.

Which is why I don't believe he or Fingers will ever spend a minute inside. They would have so much info to leak on the present government that it
can't afford to risk annoying them.

Contrast this with Bernie Madoff et al who are led out in handcuffs striaght away.

[elroy]

Whats the point in searching his house now? You can be sure if the guy had any documents of any dodgy/sensitive nature they would be long gone by now. I hope they do get to press charges but I wouldnt hold my breath. This whole debacle has shown how corrupt this country can be. You can pretty much bring the country to its knees without any responsbility. Its rare I agree with any politician but I think it was the FG health spokesman (who's name escapes me) who stated that very point.

[OneRedArmy]

My little brother, who knows his stuff when it comes to banking, reckons they won't have enough to actually convict him. I doubt that'll be a popular outcome if he's right.

It depends on what exactly he's being investigated for. I can think of 4 potential charges relating to completely different potentially illegal acts he was involved in. Of those, in relation to share support (market manipulation) there's a huge precedent in the Guinness case in the UK in the 80s.

IMO, unpopular as it may be on here, a failure to convict would be more likely a result of moronic ham-fistedness by the Gardai, DPP and judiciary than any grand FF conspiracy scheme.

Again IMO, there's more than enough evidence in the public domain to lock him up, the main problem is that our legal system seems unable to secure watertight convictions in even the simplest criminal cases, nevermind fraud, which is generally difficult to prove.

And even when you do secure a conviction, the judiciary are a law onto themselves when it comes to sentencing.

[joeSoap]

I see it as a cosmetic arrest, pure and simple. It makes the average Sun reader think Seanie is being prosecuted over his wrongdoings where in fact he is probably confined to an interview room as opposed a cell, and sent out for caviar and chateau pape de neuf as opposed to Supermacs.

Interesting to see that they have twice extended his detention period however. The Gardai and DPP have had more than enough time to prepare their case..if he is not charged upon his release from custody then I would lay a nice bet on the fact that he wont be prosecuted at all.

[Macy]

Whats the point in searching his house now? You can be sure if the guy had any documents of any dodgy/sensitive nature they would be long gone by now. I hope they do get to press charges but I wouldnt hold my breath. This whole debacle has shown how corrupt this country can be.
It took them months to raid Anglo HQ too. I wouldn't share OneRedArmy's opinion of it being ham fisted rather than corrupt. There's enough examples of the cops being manipulated (in the least worse scenario) in the last few years to suit political aims.

[OneRedArmy]

It took them months to raid Anglo HQ too. I wouldn't share OneRedArmy's opinion of it being ham fisted rather than corrupt. There's enough examples of the cops being manipulated (in the least worse scenario) in the last few years to suit political aims.By the same token there's lots of evidence (pardon the pun) where a combination of DPP & Gardai have managed to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory in slam dunk cases.

I mean we can't even apply penalty points to people's licenses in 75% of cases, how on earth are we supposed to secure a complex fraud conviction?

Your continual reference to "hiding the bodies" belies the fact that its been apparent to anyone with half a brain, and in the public domain that there's been endemic corruption in politics in this country for at least 20 years. Yet, despite this being public knowledge pretty much for two decades now, the main perpatrators have repeatedly been returned to government.

The only conclusion is that the majority of people in Ireland don't really care about corruption per se, and have only started caring recently because its perceived that they personally have lost out as a result of it. Until the economy tanked what's gone on would've been referred to as "cute hoorism" and would'nt have been seen necessarily as a bad thing.

The duplicity and hypocrisy of it all is staggering IMO. Don't get me wrong, Seanie should be locked up, and as I said above in my opinion there's a menu of dodgy dealing to choose from. But there's no need for a grand conspiracy to cover anything up, its all in the public domain, has been for a long time, and few people cared until about 12 months ago.

Maybe this is the first step in the country moving towards having a more right-think moral compass when it comes to fraud and dodgy dealings, but I'll believe it when I see it.

[apo11o]

Is this the same Gardai that dealt with the Omagh bombing???

[Spudulika]

Seanie is just one of a number from Anglo who, if in the USA, would be in serious trouble. The law regarding financial impropriety in the USA is, in some cases, much tighter - just look at the insider trading and stock manipulation regulations and how they caught out a large number of notables, who were expendable of course.

Politics in Ireland has always been corrupt, from before the current state was founded it was a mess and has never really moved forward. Family seats remain the norm, fixers are the most important of creatures and the media remains the mouthpiece of the government (with some exceptions). If the Lord of Malahide didn't do time, I don't see Seanie sitting a day in Mountjoy.