Lord Mayor of Dublin says public anger over Fitzpatrick acquittal must be addressed

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Brendan Carr, has called for a full review of the operations of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) following the decision by the Judge in the trial of Sean Fitzpatrick to direct that he be acquitted of all charges.

Brendan Carr said: “It is clear to me that there is massive public disquiet and indeed anger concerning the decision by Judge John Aylmer that he had no option but to direct the jury to acquit former Anglo-Irish Bank chairman Sean Fitzpatrick of all charges against him.

“Since the news broke earlier today I have personally received contact from many people expressing disbelief and in several cases, genuine anger concerning what has occurred in this case.

“While making no judgement in any way on the legality of Mr. Fitzpatrick’s actions in relation to Anglo Irish bank, what cannot be disputed is that they have had a serious impact on every Dubliner, in terms of the billions of euros lost that could have otherwise been invested in our city and country.

He added“In particular I believe people are dismayed by the fact that there will now be no opportunity for Mr. Fitzpatrick’s fellow citizens to hear all the evidence concerning, and pass a considered judgement on, his actions.

“This state of affairs is simply not good enough and how we arrived at it must be examined in an independent, speedy and forensic manner. Only by undertaking such a review, and then implementing the necessary changes which must emerge from it, can we ensure that public trust in our justice system is restored.”