Brian Cowen says he was unaware of emails on future of Anglo Irish Bank

Brian Cowen has insisted he was not aware of emails sent to his office about several possibilities for the future of Anglo Irish Bank on the night he met the board of the bank.

The former taoiseach was questioned at the Oireachtas banking inquiry yesterday about correspondence exchanged between officials in the Department of Finance.

The emails, which discussed the future of Anglo, were sent on the day Mr Cowen attended a board dinner at the bank’s headquarters in Dublin on April 28th, 2008.

Mr Cowen said: “It’s an internal email that refers to some issue regarding the State Guarantees Act 1954.

“That relates to work that was being done in the domestic standing group regarding the question of the guarantee, making sure there were sufficient powers available if you were ever to do a guarantee, as a contingency planning measure.”

Significant

Mr Cowen said he had not seen the email and insisted he was not copied in on it. He said his private secretary would normally screen his correspondence and print off anything significant for him.

The former taoiseach added: “My evidence here last week is the same today. I didn’t discuss any issues of substance with Anglo Irish Bank officials then or subsequently.”

When questioned by inquiry chairman Ciarán Lynch, Mr Cowen said he did not recall being briefed ahead of the function on April 24th 2008.

However, “it may have been the case that some briefing material was given to me generally about Anglo Irish Bank on the basis that I was going down to a dinner there, but I don’t recollect anything about it, to be honest,” he said.

Truthful

“The important point is this, in any event: a lot of this can be a distraction, the important point is the evidence I gave last week is truthful and accurate evidence. I didn’t discuss anything with Anglo Irish Bank of any substance that day.”

Mr Cowen was responding to a report in yesterday's Irish Times which detailed an email sent between Department of Finance officials outlining possible solutions to Anglo's problems. Later, Mr Cowen was questioned about a golf game he attended in July 2008 with the then Anglo chairman Seán FitzPatrick, non-executive director Fintan Drury, board member Gary McGann and a director of the Central Bank Alan Gray.

Fine Gael TD Kieran O'Donnell asked if he had shown poor judgment by attending the outing. Mr Cowen said all of the individuals concerned would have rather it hadn't happened considering the controversy surrounding it.

He said: “I want to assure the Irish people that I didn’t do anything untoward, or inappropriate, or discuss issues I shouldn’t be discussing with any individual bank at the expense or cost of anyone else, at that time or ever.”