Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams led a dramatic walkout from the Dublin parliament (Dail) on November 2. The protest was over the coalition government’s decision to hand over more than €700 million to an unknown private investor in the failed Anglo Irish Bank.
Finance minister Michael Noonan admitted in the Dail there was no legal obligation to refund the bond investment, which was not covered by the former government’s bank guarantee.
With the government refusing a debate on the matter, Adams led the walkout of Sinn Fein and United Left Alliance parliamentarians.
Adams said there was no “political or legal or indeed moral obligation” to make the payment.
“It is nothing short of a scandal that the government is allowing this handover to happen,” he said. “Particularly at a time when they are planning to implement yet another austerity budget that will affect thousands of hard-pressed people.”
The parliamentarians joined activists holding a picket outside the parliament buildings in opposition to the payout.
Adams said billions of euros more are due to be paid out in coming months.
[Abridged from Republican News.]