The fact that the TDs accused of tax evasion in the dossier provided to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) belong to another era may go some way to limiting its political impact in the here and now. The PAC will this week discuss the dossier from Gerry Ryan, a civil servant in the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, and its members will take legal advice on how best to proceed. Independent TD and PAC member Shane Ross yesterday said the issue presented a "very serious situation" .
From the PAC perspective, the most likely outcome seems a private hearing with Ryan, similar to that of Sgt Maurice McCabe .
However, the weekend comments from Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald show that the questions for those currently in Leinster House are likely to centre on how Ryan's claims were handled and whether they were treated appropriately.
Of particularly focus will be the witness statement drawn up by Ryan at the request of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation to assist in a possible prosecution.
Ryan says that to the best of his knowledge Richard Bruton, the current Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, failed to forward the document to the gardaí "at any time in the period of almost two years since I submitted it to him".
McDonald claimed Bruton "confirmed that he hasn't forwarded, to An Garda Síochána, a detailed witness statement given to him in December, 2012".
“This presents an obvious delay of nearly two years,” she added. Yet it is probable the issue will only be raised by Sinn Féin and perhaps some on the Independent benches.
Fianna Fáil shows no appetite of touching the dossier, particularly since Michéal Martin was, for four years, Ryan's line minister.
According to Ryan's account, Mr Martin referred his 763 page report detailing his allegations to the Revenue Commissioners, Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement and the Mahon and Moriarty tribunals. Mr Martin also referred the matter to Matthias Kelly QC, head of the UK bar council.
Given that Martin did all he could with Ryan’s claims, he is unlikely to try and resurrect the issue anytime soon.Instead, expect the party to pour most of its efforts into the Dáil debate on Maíria Cahill’s allegations of rape and subsequent cover up by the IRA this week.
Sinn Féin perhaps sees the Ryan dossier as a form of counter attack but Bruton’s formal defence was already outlined in a statement released over the weekend in which he put the delay in referring the witness statement down to “the retirement of key personnel”.
“I am advised that all matters contained in the statement are covered by the documents already submitted to the relevant authorities,” he added pointedly.
He also stressed the An Garda Síochána had investigated the claims and referred a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Informally, those in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil say that Ryan's allegations – including all supporting documentation - have already been examined by the relevant authorities and nothing came of it.
