The biggest Irish scandals/chancers ever?

IvaBigWun

I was reading Charlie Haughey's wiki page there and, fúck me, he takes some beating as the king of Irish chancers.

Haughey's personal wealth and extravagant lifestyle – he owned racehorses,[34] a large motor sailing yacht Celtic Mist, a private island, and a Gandon-designed mansion – had long been a point of curious speculation; he had refused throughout his career to answer any questions about how he financed this lifestyle on a government salary.[35] Despite his professed desire to fade from public attention, these questions followed him into retirement, eventually exploding into a series of political, financial and personal scandals tarnished his image and reputation.

In 1997, a government-appointed tribunal led by Judge Brian McCracken first revealed that Haughey had received substantial monetary gifts from businessmen, and that he had held secret offshore bank accounts in the Ansbacher Bank in the Cayman Islands. Haughey faced criminal charges for obstructing the work of the McCracken tribunal.[36][37] His trial on these charges was postponed indefinitely after the judge in the case found that he would not be able to get a fair trial following prejudicial comments by the then PD leader and Tánaiste Mary Harney.[38]




In 1997 the public were shocked by allegations that Haughey had embezzled money that was a subvention to the Fianna Fáil Party; money that was from central Government's taxpayer's funds for the operation of a political party and that he had spent large sums of these funds on Charvet shirts and expensive dinners in a top Dublin restaurant while preaching belt-tightening and implementing budget cuts as a national policy.[39]

The subsequent Moriarty Tribunal delved further into Haughey's financial dealings. In his main report[6] on Charles Haughey released on 19 December 2006, Mr. Justice Moriarty made the following findings:


Haughey was paid more than IR£8 million between 1979 and 1986 from various benefactors and businessmen, including £1.3 million from the Dunnes Stores supermarket tycoon Ben Dunne alone.[35] The tribunal described these payments as "unethical".[40]



In May 1989 one of Haughey's lifelong friends Brian Lenihan, a former government minister, underwent a liver transplant which was partly paid for through fundraising by Haughey. The Moriarty tribunal found that, of the £270,000 collected in donations for Brian Lenihan, no more than £70,000 ended up being spent on Lenihan's medical care. The tribunal identified one specific donation of £20,000 for Lenihan that was surreptitiously appropriated by Haughey,[41] who took steps to conceal this transaction.[42][43]


The tribunal found evidence of favours performed in return for money – Saudi businessman Mahmoud Fustok paid Haughey £50,000 to support applications for Irish citizenship.[40]

In other evidence of favours performed, the tribunal reported that Haughey arranged meetings between Ben Dunne and civil servant Seamus Pairceir of the Revenue Commissioners. These discussions resulted in an outstanding capital gains tax bill for Dunne being reduced by £22.8 million. Moriarty found that this was "not coincidental", and that it was a substantial benefit conferred on Dunne by Haughey's actions.[44]


Allied Irish Banks settled a million-pound overdraft with Haughey soon after he became Taoiseach in 1979; the tribunal found that the lenience shown by the bank in this case amounted to an indirect payment by the bank to Haughey.[40]

The tribunal rejected Haughey's claims of ignorance of his own financial affairs[39] and Haughey was accused by the tribunal of "devaluing democracy".[40]

Haughey eventually agreed a settlement with the revenue and paid a total of €6.5 million in back taxes and penalties to the Revenue Commissioners in relation to these donations.[45] In August 2003 Haughey was forced to sell his large estate, Abbeville, in Kinsealy in north County Dublin for €45 million to settle legal fees he had incurred during the tribunals.[46] He continued to live at Abbeville and own the island of Inishvickillane off the coast of County Kerry until his death.

Can he be topped?

Who or what are the biggest Irish scandals/chancers ever?

Hedgemeister

That rotten ole theivin' Bas*tard took 1% out of my pay packet back in the day when I could ill afford it, and without my consent, to plug the hole in the Finances of the PMPA Insurance company.
He was the only person I ever heard of born in three counties...Dublin, Donegal and Kerry! In later life he claimed to be born in a fourth, but I can't remember which one, but I think it was Derry. All things to all men was the bould Chas.
To add insult to injury he was allowed walk away with millions.

But, he gave us 'free travel,' say the oldies, and paid for it out of his own pocket...like fu*k he did.

GetWithIt

For an exhaustive list, see here

castletownman

A cat getting shot on prime-time television by a young lad wielding a loaded semi-automatic gun

sabat

The theft continues-his wife is still alive and in receipt of a hefty pension from the state; she and the kids also got a huge payout when Abbeville was sold to developers and which is now being underwritten by the taxpayer via NAMA. For sheer brass neck though, I don't think anyone could top Bertie's "had a bit of luck on d'oul hosses" line at the tribunal.

Muise...

Haughey coined the term shortened to 'GUBU' to describe a particularly weird scandal involving a murderous madman and the Attorney General:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUBU

Though I think Sharon 'Lying Eyes' Collins and her hitman wove a story that would be deemed too ridiculous for a South American telenovela.

(google that and boards threads come up on the first page. )

cml387

Just to add that this paragon of virtue thought that Bertie Ahern was even more devious.

Hedgemeister

Charley was among the first to figure out that the Irish electorate were suckers. Throw the common - man a bone and you could get away with anything. Charlie's bone was the free travel.

Bertie was no different but more adventerous. The use of the anorak, the pints of Bass, daa horses, follower of Man Utd, The Dubs GAA teams, poor woman-less aul divil living all alone in a rambling aul house without a dacent woman 'to do' for him...ahhhh... De Peace Process etc, etc, all common-mannish stuff, but boys oh boys did it work. There were shouts of 'Good man Bertie, Ya Boy-ya' even down here in middle Ireland, many miles fro his base in Dublin.
Us suckers fell for it in huge numbers

Bert learned from the master, that's for sure, before he passed the shameful mantle onto Cowen, another 'common'-man, another pint drinker, another GAA follower, a man with an ego bigger than Clara Bog, but without the cleverness, the wiyliness or indeed the brains of his predecessors, but he still managed to be identified as being among us 'common' men. and drew his many votes because of it.

Now others are following that same (but by now well worn) path, pandering to the 'common' - man; "tax the rich... we'll tell Angela Merkel and the Trioka to f. off, regain our fiscal independence," etc etc.

But are we still suckers for that bull****?
I hope we've outgrown it, but only time will tell.

SimonQuinlank

Most things Bertie ever touched.

Liam Lawlor making millions on dodgy land deals for Liffey Valley,then going round to his (many poor) constituents and offering them a bag of coal in exchange for their votes.

Michael Lowry's shady dealings with Denis O'Brien over the phone operator license

Then health minister Michael Noonan threathening a dying woman who was infected with Hep C from a contaminated blood transfusion with legal action on her deathbed.

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Mickey "the fixer "Lowry, John Brutons enforcer who made sure that for the right price a highly lucrative mobile licence went to the wrong company, while at the same time he was knee deep in tax evasion.

Hedgemeister

Sir Humphrey Appleby wrote: »

Mickey "the fixer "Lowry, John Brutons enforcer who made sure that for the right price a highly lucrative mobile licence went to the wrong company, while at the same time he was knee deep in tax evasion.

And tops the Poll in every election ever since.

K-9

The boys who set up the Irish sweepstakes:

Irish Sweepstake scandal remains a lesson to us all - Independent.ie

Fascinating story, basically was a legal money racket that grabbed worldwide attention in the 30's especially, hell even was referenced in Breaking Bad! The company didn't have to publish its expenses so only the owners knew where half the money was going. Because lotteries were illegal in the US and UK payments had to be made to 1'000's of people to sell them.

The draw worked by picking 30/40 names who then got a horse in the big race, be it the National, Derby etc, people often got offered big money to sell the ticket by bookies or investors. The whole thing was a Government sponsored racket, and it is doubtful how much it actually benefitted the Health system here.

Laois_Man

Sharon Shannon!

snubbleste

Bishop Eamonn Casey was the biggest scandal ever..little did we know. He looks like a saint compared to all the stuff that has come out over the past 20 years.

Nowadays, it's the public's failure to demand accountability for wrongs & injustices in the past and present.

What about Ray Burk, although it is hard beat Haughty for check!

kupus

Charlie, bertie, p flynn, lawlor, lowry, albert, ray burke, they are not irish. they are idiots. simple.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_Ireland

http://bocktherobber.com/2008/07/the-oil-company-the-crooked-politician-and-the-theft-of-irelands-energy-resources/

IvaBigWun

kupus wrote: »

Charlie, bertie, p flynn, lawlor, lowry, albert, ray burke, they are not irish. they are idiots. simple.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_Ireland

It has its own wiki page!

lahalane

Tony Cascarino.

ColeTrain

John O'Donoghue take a bow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_O'Donoghue_expenses_controversy
As Ceann Comhairle, O'Donoghue employed seven more office staff than the previous Ceann Comhairle who managed with three staff.[11][12]
O'Donoghue and Brendan Howlin shared a "working dinner" in June 2007.[13] The cost of the €293 meal was paid for by O'Donoghue.[13] He also dined regularly in Michelin-starred restaurants, on many occasions with his wife.[1]
Four trips to Britain in 2006 and 2007 led to €21,000 expenses claims for hiring cars.[14]
He claimed expenses on a £1 sterling donation which he personally gave to UNICEF when in Scotland.[15] The donation was part of the hotel bill. The total bill for his stay there from 21 January until 24 January 2009 came to €801.70.[15]
He regularly attended horse racing sessions and even brought his wife, secretary and other officials to the Melbourne Cup in Australia in 2003.[8] He returned in 2005, telling a magazine the following year that: "There's nothing quite like Melbourne Cup day in Australia".[8]
He claimed expenses of €600 on a limousine to take him to horse racing at Aintree.[9]
He claimed for another limousine to carry him between terminals at Heathrow Airport in London.[12] The total claimed for this limousine was €472.[14]
He claimed nearly €900 per night for a 2006 stay in the Radisson Hotel in Liverpool.[14]
He resided in one hotel in Paris where rooms cost €633 per night.[1][12]
Many of the expenses were claimed for tips he gave — one of these amounted to almost €200.[1]
He purchased many gifts such as €882 worth of items from the House of Ireland shop and 2006 Midleton whiskey which totalled €135.[1]
€4,956 was claimed on the hire of limousines during a trip to several cities in the United States.[1]
€11,869 in expenses was claimed on advertisements displayed in local newspapers in his native Kerry.[1]
On 6 October 2009, it was revealed that O'Donoghue had spent more than €20,000 at nine different race meetings internationally over the four-year period of 2003–2007.[16]

the immortals

Boyzone

BabyGorilla

ColeTrain wrote: »

John O'Donoghue take a bow

"He claimed expenses on a £1 sterling donation which he personally gave to UNICEF when in Scotland.[15] The donation was part of the hotel bill."

lololol

OP is the Brian Lenihan mentioned in your post the same Brian Lenihan who signed the (bite the) blanket bank coverage for us.

Lima Golf

That mcgeever fella who faked his own kidnapping to try and get out of paying debts was a pure chancer

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/fake-kidnap-victim-mcgeever-linked-to-5m-us-fraud-case-29437495.html

Cathyht

De Barron of Ballsbridge.
He's a right ol chancer.

And all those guys who are basically failed politicians and end up on Bank Director****s.....

What about all these Boards. There are so many thousands of these Directors 'serving' on Boards of Directors, from charitable organisations to horse breeding, the afore mentioned Banks (especially Very Very Bold Banks). We don't need all these asshole directors sucking the country dry. Many of them appear on quite a few Boards. Haughey's Daughter is on at least one, I'm sure the sons are.

Dick Spring is good too, He is a director of Allied Irish Bank and receives annual pension payments of €121,108.

Our Taoiseach, who remains mute and invisible during any televised debate is up there with the best of them. I'm sure his most Chancery things are still not fully disclosed. Probably many Chancer Judges and legal eagles will make a fortune in the future working out what the current FGers did. Despite his non appearance at important debate, he 'earns' over 200k plus another 100k 'expenses'. He is online for a nice number in Brussels.

The whole lot of these Politician bloodsuckers make me want to vomit. I would love to meet somebody who cares about politics, doing good, running a country properly, who is NOT in it to pick the bones of our nation, and us till there's nothing left. Their arrogance, hypocrisy and greed are so blatant. Surely there is someone who is NOT a chancer?

BabyGorilla

ToughOne wrote: »

Irish people guzzle cock

Can we have just 1 thread without mentioning jedward.

BabyGorilla

ToughOne wrote: »

I was talking about yer da tbf

Ill still be here in a few minutes.

In addition Mr ToughOne I put it to you that it is in fact YOU and YOUR father who engage in the cock guzzling acts previously mentioned. Simultaneously and in tandem. If you deny this then you should reply, otherwise your silence shall be taken as an indication of guilt as to your partaking in the act of the gobbling of phallus's. (along with your father).

IvaBigWun

lahalane wrote: »

Tony Cascarino.

???

TOMP

The DOZENS of "pillars of the community" (solictors) who have been charged or convicted or involved in all kinds of dodgy dealings in Ireland in the last 10 years.

There's a book in it for some aspiring journalist.

lahalane

IvaBigWun wrote: »

???

Tony Cascarino managed to play for the Irish national football team with not a hint of Irishness in him. In fairness though, he scored 19 goals for us so we don't care.

Standard Toaster

Chancer of the highest order, probably worse then yer man Hilter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Z_nuoIbZc

IvaBigWun

Cathyht wrote: »

Surely there is someone who is NOT a chancer?

I think Tony Gregory was a good guy. Ive never heard a bad word said about him

RikkFlair

Pee Flynn whingeing on the Late Late show about how stressful it was running 3 or 4 different homes up and down the country, what with all the bills and housekeepers and whatnot.

policarp

RikkFlair wrote: »

Pee Flynn whingeing on the Late Late show about how stressful it was running 3 or 4 different homes up and down the country, what with all the bills and housekeepers and whatnot.

And his daughter trying to earn a bit of pocket money. . .:P

Karl Stein

The people who end up at the 'top' of society have shown themselves to be the most scumbag of all scumbags.

policarp

Charlie Rock wrote: »

The people who end up at the 'top' of society have shown themselves to be the most scumbag of all scumbags.

If everyone had their own, there would be no conmen.
My Da's philosophy.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Biggest chancer this country ever produced is Christy Kinahnan. They say crime doesn't pay but Christy has flaunted the law all his life and has never served a substantial prison sentence. He's one of the richest crimelords in Continental Europe, Southern Spanish authorities are still fighting against him and his merry gang of thugs.

Some bad guys do wind up on top in the end. Karma my arse. It's all down to a mixture of luck and ability imo.

"You have to be like a lion and a fox. The Fox is smart enough to recognise traps, and the lion is strong enough to scare away the wolves. Be like a lion and a fox and nobody will ever beat you."

Carlo Gambino founder of the Gambino Mafia Family in NYC who never spent a day in prison in all his 74 years.

Means Of Escape

Larry Goodman
Sent crap meat to Iraq in the 80s and as a result Hussein defaulted on payments to the tune of over 90 million pounds.

Absolute trickster who again returns to make bits of the meat industry with his horse meat mixing shennanigans
Very little about that these days ........ People in powerful places and all that .

As for the beef tribunal and it's outrageous cost ...

Has to be number 2
Followed by Denis o Brien
Michael Lowry
Sean Dunne
Sean Quinn
Jackie Healy Rae

razorblunt

Jaysus just when you forget most of these shenanigans they all come back out again and make you more angry. The pensions for some reason are what angers me more than anything for some reason, it's disgusting.

krudler

razorblunt wrote: »

Jaysus just when you forget most of these shenanigans they all come back out again and make you more angry. The pensions for some reason are what angers me more than anything for some reason, it's disgusting.

That, any other industry if you're sacked for incompetence, or theft, or whatever reason, you don't get a few years wages as a reward, yet you do as a politician. Arrive, be corrupt, step down to "save face", get massive pension, kick back and laugh at the idiot taxpayers.

fryup

snubbleste wrote: »

Bishop Eamonn Casey was the biggest scandal ever..little did we know. He looks like a saint compared to all the stuff that has come out over the past 20 years.

"that money was just resting in my account"

wasn't it Casey who was fiddling with the accounts of some charity??

K-9

fryup wrote: »

"that money was just resting in my account"

wasn't it Casey who was fiddling with the accounts of some charity??

Not sure about that, but fairly big sums of money did get out to the US for his son.

Just on the OP and Haughey, it doesn't mention that a big chunk of the money raised for Brian Lenihan Snr.'s liver op in the Boston Clinic ended up paying for Charlie's shirts and his restaurant bills in Le Coq Hardi.

IIRC the op cost about £80,000 and the rest was transferred to one of Haugheys accounts.

keeponhurling

Pushing the Anglo debt onto the Irish people, really disturbing stuff. Think all of Europe was speechless.

gaffer91

The Arms Trial would have to stand out as being especially shocking. The Irish government trying to provide arms to paramilitary organisation is crazy when you think about it.

The rape and cover-ups done by members of the catholic church.

And all the other ones previously mentioned- Bertie, Lowry etc.

K-9

gaffer91 wrote: »

The Arms Trial would have to stand out as being especially shocking. The Irish government trying to provide arms to paramilitary organisation is crazy when you think about it.

We'll probably never get the full story as the big players are all gone now. The biggest surprise was Haugheys involvement as he had no track record of involvement or much interest in Northern Ireland before it, seemed like a power play for Taoiseach and he backed the wrong horse! (pardon the pun, he fell of a horse and was in hospital when it all came out).

The big question that probably never will get answered is how much Lynch knew? Berry the big civil servant involved insisted he told him months before, but he was in hospital at the time and in a bad way and heavily sedated. Lynch said he basically couldn't understand him. Lynch didn't go public with it when it came to a head, which backs the idea that he did know more than he let on.

On the other side, he never was a staunch Republican and he acted swiftly and decisively when it did come out.

Cathyht

Allowing the south to be a separate entitiy from the North in 1949. If there was Guerrilla activity by the British/Loyalists then in the 70s the Irish Government should have had the guts to fight for the Irish/Catholics stuck in the North being terrorised and murdered by the British army/Loyalist factions. Any help given to the Irish in their persecuted state in the north was really a duty of the Irish government, it was entirely rational they should give it correctly, not underhandedly. The only problem I see is the elaborate plan to give help furtively rather than getting the Irish army or the UN right up there to defend suffering Irish people.

BuilderPlumber

We all thought that Haughey was the king of the corrupt chancers ..... until we got Bertie and Seanie!!

K-9

Probably as good a thread to mention it as any, Aiden Gillan is playing Haughey in a RTE drama that has started filming, focuses on 78-93.

Shame there was no focus on his rise to prominence in the 60's, the Arms Trial and the "chicken and chips" circuit in the 70's which covered his rise from backbench ignominy to leadership.

This thread made me re-read Bruce Arnolds book about him, was printed in 1995. Arnold was one of the journalists phone tapped by the Haughey administration in 1982, eventually brought him down 10 years later.

Haughey had a phone system fitted to the Dail that meant phone calls could be eaves dropped on. Nothing ever was connected to Charlie of course.

TeddyTedson

This thread create a lot of anger with continued reading. These ****ers need to have their assets seized by CAB :mad:

IvaBigWun

K-9 wrote: »

Probably as good a thread to mention it as any, Aiden Gillan is playing Haughey in a RTE drama that has started filming, focuses on 78-93.

When is it to air?

MurdyWurdy

As soon as I saw this thread title I thought - Charles Haughey. Bertie was his protege as well

mikemac1

Leonard McNally, all around general backstabber

In his day he was a moderately successful playwright and a very well known barrister, one of the best around.

Thought to be an Irish Patriot and was a founding member of the United Irishmen.
Later betrayed Lord Edward Fitzgerald though that was never revealed until decades later.

Defended many 1798 rebels and they went to the gallows as he sold his legal defence plans to the prosecutors.
Did the same again to Robert Emmett. He certainly was a famous lawyer and with his background he was the lawyer of choice for rebels but hire him and you were fecked.

Nobody knew any of this during his lifetime. He died around 1820 a popular man and an Irish Patriot.
The Brits stopped his secret pension and the family kicked up a fuss over it. And then the full story came out.....

K-9

IvaBigWun wrote: »

When is it to air?

Not sure, seems to be in production at the minute so some time next year I presume.