Criminal Justice Bill will tackle white collar crime and make criminals pay
Speaking on the Criminal Justice Bill in the Dáil this week, Fine Gael Deputy, Jerry Buttimer, welcomed the proposed legislation saying that if the faith of the Irish people is to be restored white collar criminal must be pursued for their crimes in the same way as everyone else.
“There is a widespread view that those at the head of financial institutions are immune from prosecution; that they can flee the country to escape the consequences of their actions, and reap rewards for destroying the future of our children.
“All of this at a time when those same financial institutions pursue, through the courts, ordinary citizens who, solely because they now find themselves unemployed, are struggling to repay their debts.
Over the last number of years we have been relayed with tales that paint our financial system as one that was completely unregulated and without any element of a social conscious; a system that rewarded reckless and irresponsible behaviour. If the trust of the people is to be restored, it is essential that those suspected of criminal activities in the financial sector are fully investigated and brought to justice.
“I warmly welcome this proposed legislation which provides for increased investigative powers.
As public representatives one of our duties is to ensure that the State’s legal procedures and processes are just and equitable. In proposing this Bill the Minister is actively fulfilling a commitment contained in the Programme for Government to ensure that the white collar criminal is held to account for his/ her crimes and the pain they inflict in the same way as everyone else.
“This Bill, if enacted, will go a long way towards preventing a recurrence of the actions of bank executives, of which we are now painfully very much aware.”