Madam, – Irish bankers who have submitted untruthful accounts to auditors and national authorities have replaced the reasonable expectations of a sane society by their own whim. In this they have something in common with the drug dealer who beats up his debtor and tells him that his debt has been quadrupled. Banker and drug dealer alike are serving their own interest.
They have also reverted to a level of consciousness which, beyond a self-selecting clique, is devoid of any sense of human fellowship.
Talented people of weak character will always be attracted to the exercise of power. Once in place – and left to their own devices – they will be corrupted. They will behave with monstrous disregard for any standard of fairness or humanity and they will be immune to moral appeal. That is why the criminal process is necessary and why it must be used whenever this kind of behaviour manifests itself. It is profoundly misguided to remove such people quietly from their positions without pursuing the matter further.
Compassion for the guilty is only a virtue in the context of the truth being honoured and the injustice being remedied. The injustice in this case is not merely the direct harm done by a particular group, but the signal sent to society at large that the only sanction to be used against corrupt people with access to power and money is honourable retirement. This scandal can only be remedied by the criminal law.
The disgrace of criminal conviction serves two important purposes. First, it is a sign to others similarly inclined that they must, if only out of self-interest, behave respectfully. Second, it is a sign to a society, which has been humiliated by members of a privileged elite, that values such as honesty and fairness do matter. – Yours, etc,