Sir, – I refer to Newtown Emerson's article "North is riddled with nepotism" (Opinion & Analysis, on September 15th).
I agree with almost all of Newton Emerson’s arguments but, on the issue of the role of the UK’s Assets Recovery Agency (ARA), would point out that we did not take on any cases in Northern Ireland connected to public corruption because, in law, we could only adopt cases referred to us by other law-enforcement agencies. No such cases were referred to us, but if they had been, we would have been delighted to follow the money wherever it led and without fear or favour.
To be fair, there was also the issue that, for the entire five years of ARA’s existence, the Stormont government was suspended and our local councils were confined to what Belfast wags characterised as the three “Bs” – bogs, burials and bins – where the scope for misconduct was limited.
Thankfully we have moved on politically from that stage. We now have a relatively stable government in Stormont.
We have fewer but larger councils, with much wider remits, including planning. All of that imposes new demands for ethical standards in public life.
My original point was that, in such a small political space, the nepotism your columnist refers to and the fact that political donations are secret have the potential to facilitate malpractice and corruption. The improved security situation has evaporated the old dogma that donations have to be secret for “security reasons”. Keeping them secret just breeds suspicion and undermines public confidence in relatively new institutions that need to develop and sustain that confidence. – Yours, etc,
ALAN McQUILLAN,
(Former Director,
UK Assets Recovery
Agency), Belfast.