More political Lulz. Fás director got €1m 'golden handshake' for stepping down

Cianos · 25-09-2009 04:08AM #1

It was revealed yesterday that after handing in his resignation last November amid controversy of over expenditure, Fás director Rody Molloy got a €1m 'golden handshake' for stepping down;

FORMER DIRECTOR general of Fás Rody Molloy resigned because he was given a €1 million “golden handshake”, a Dáil committee was told yesterday.

Responding to the chairman of the Dáil Committee on Public Accounts, Bernard Allen, an official from the Department of Finance, Tony Jordan, said the package negotiated for Mr Molloy was agreed to by his department.

Mr Molloy was prepared to resign, he said, and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan wanted to “effect change immediately”.

“He was willing to resign because of a golden handshake?” said Mr Allen. “Indeed,” said Mr Jordan.

The secretary general of Ms Coughlan’s department, Seán Gorman, a former director of Fás, said he negotiated the package in day-long discussions with Mr Molloy and Fás chairman Peter McLoone. “In the negotiations it was made very clear that part of the terms he was prepared to resign on was that he be treated reasonably, and it was made clear that if not, he was reserving his right to take court action.”

Mr Molloy’s length of service was increased by an extra 4½ nominal years, which increased the size of his lump sum payment by approximately €50,000 and his annual pension by approximately €11,000 per annum.

He was also given the equivalent of six months’ pay instead of the three months’ notice he would be entitled to if sacked. Mr Molloy received a tax-free lump sum of €333,732, a taxed sum of €111,243.50, being the equivalent of six months’ salary, and an annual pension of approximately €111,000. The actuarial cost of the deal, on a presumption that Mr Molloy lived for another 30 years, was €1 million, Mr Gorman said. He said a judgment call was made on the night. “There was no question of pals or anything like that.”

No legal advice was taken.

“The Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance spent €1 million of taxpayers’ money paying off someone who had little interest in corporate governance and who presided over a massive waste of public money,” said Labour TD Róisín Shortall.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen later defended the deal, telling reporters the decision was made to facilitate Mr Molloy’s immediate departure.

He suggested that the extra money involved could be more effective than the cost of a legal case, were one to be taken.

“The [board] had to make sure that the decision to move on is effective and that’s what happened in this case,” he said.

itsallaboutheL · 25-09-2009 04:18AM

well that gay dude on corrie got a 500 grand golden handshake................. moral of the story, i'd shake suck and **** any handshake for anything over a grand.....:pac::pac::cool::P:confused::eek::(:mad::):rolleyes::o:p;):D

Kipperhell · 25-09-2009 05:14AM

While working within large companies and semi state organisations I can pretty much say with certainty this guy was used as a scape goat. He may be responsible in part but was obviously asked to fall on his sword in order to save others. I think "The Wire" pretty much showed how things can happen in a political arena. You may be the boss of something but that does not mean you can run it how you like or what is best.

I know people who go on about how corrupt politicians are but when they aren't getting their way with a state agency they go to a TD to sort it. That is corruption as instead of the politicians fixing the system they corrupt it further and people ignore the hypocrisy.

Tordelback · 25-09-2009 05:32AM

Kipperhell wrote: »

I think "The Wire" pretty much showed how things can happen in a political arena. You may be the boss of something but that does not mean you can run it how you like or what is best.

You're a very charitable man, Kipperhell. However, when you're being paid more than €200K a year to run an organisation I think it's reasonable to expect that you bloody run it, and own up if you can't.

skelliser · 25-09-2009 05:49AM

Kipperhell wrote: »

While working within large companies and semi state organisations I can pretty much say with certainty this guy was used as a scape goat. He may be responsible in part but was obviously asked to fall on his sword in order to save others. I think "The Wire" pretty much showed how things can happen in a political arena. You may be the boss of something but that does not mean you can run it how you like or what is best.

Gotta take ya up on this.
This guy is by no means a fall guy. He was appointed by Mary Harney years ago when she was minister for trade and employment. At the time her husband/partner was DG at FAS.
He has long since moved on, we'll get back to him later, but Molloy got the big job eventually.
Anyways all those trips to florida, Harney and her husband attended, and yet Mary has yet to account or even admit she was even on these trips. Molloy brought his wife along to, sure why not. So whilst Harney and Molloys wife where gettin there hair done, Molloy and Harneys husband were out playin golf at our expense, of course.

Move along to last year and a journo from tribune along with Senator Shane Ross break the above expenses scandal, Molloy knows the game is up.
He cant be fired tho, so he agrees to the package, there was no song and dance made, sure they are all friends anyway!
Thing is tho Mary Coughlan, although an idiot, is taking all the flack now, when in fact its HARNEY WHO SHOULD BE RESIGNING.

Oh and where has Minister for Health Mary Harneys husband gone, well Brian Geoghegan is a lobbyist for MRPA Kinman, a firm the lobbies the gov on the behalf of health companies!

Text book example of vested interest gov. pioneered by fianna fail and perfected by the PD's.
Now this is just one example of nods and winks and nice holidays in florida, small fry even, now imagine if you sit down to dinner with board members of Anglo Irish Bank like biffo did spring time last year and theres billions of euros involved there.....

People in this country gotta wake up.

Kipperhell · 25-09-2009 05:57AM

Tordelback wrote: »

You're a very charitable man, Kipperhell. However, when you're being paid more than €200K a year to run an organisation I think it's reasonable to expect that you bloody run it, and own up if you can't.

Have you ever tried to run something while you can't change anything? It isn't charity it is reality. It doesn't matter what you are getting paid if you actually have your hands tied. In most complex jobs you can only compromise. Fas is a very political organisation where party members get jobs. There is a reason Fas is under attack and it has less to do with the work done and more to do with politics

There are similar politically charged semi-state and state bodies. One friend of mine worked for one where all the management were from the army which is very concerning given what they regulate. I don't buy conspiracy theories but something are just not right based on possible misuse or even perception.

Kipperhell · 25-09-2009 06:04AM

skelliser wrote: »

Gotta take ya up on this.
This guy is by no means a fall guy. .

I don't disagree about the events but what choices did he really have in reality? How many decisions did he really make? Just because you do something wrong doesn't mean you aren't a scape goat. There are other more accountable and I don't think the he acted alone. So him resigning with a good deal was done to keep him quite. The tribunals are a prime example how protection remains intact.

skelliser · 25-09-2009 06:08AM

yes but when you cant be fired, your gonna milk it as much as possible and when your friends are your employers its happy days.

Im just trying to highlight the cosy arrangements that exist especiallly were fianna fail/pds are involved.

Kipperhell · 25-09-2009 06:28AM

skelliser wrote: »

yes but when you cant be fired, your gonna milk it as much as possible and when your friends are your employers its happy days.

Im just trying to highlight the cosy arrangements that exist especiallly were fianna fail/pds are involved.

I don't think it is a cosy happy friendly situation I think there are people petrified about what he could reveal. These aren't friends protecting him but people with a vested interest. I don't see how anybody is happy with the situation, that's how I see it anyway.

sdanseo · 25-09-2009 06:35AM

I think a public flogging of all politicians (with optional gold-plated whips) is in order.

Biggins · 25-09-2009 07:54AM

skelliser wrote: »

Gotta take ya up on this.
This guy is by no means a fall guy. He was appointed by Mary Harney years ago when she was minister for trade and employment. At the time her husband/partner was DG at FAS.
He has long since moved on, we'll get back to him later, but Molloy got the big job eventually.
Anyways all those trips to florida, Harney and her husband attended, and yet Mary has yet to account or even admit she was even on these trips. Molloy brought his wife along to, sure why not. So whilst Harney and Molloys wife where gettin there hair done, Molloy and Harneys husband were out playin golf at our expense, of course.

Move along to last year and a journo from tribune along with Senator Shane Ross break the above expenses scandal, Molloy knows the game is up.
He cant be fired tho, so he agrees to the package, there was no song and dance made, sure they are all friends anyway!
Thing is tho Mary Coughlan, although an idiot, is taking all the flack now, when in fact its HARNEY WHO SHOULD BE RESIGNING.

Oh and where has Minister for Health Mary Harneys husband gone, well Brian Geoghegan is a lobbyist for MRPA Kinman, a firm the lobbies the gov on the behalf of health companies!

Text book example of vested interest gov. pioneered by fianna fail and perfected by the PD's.
Now this is just one example of nods and winks and nice holidays in florida, small fry even, now imagine if you sit down to dinner with board members of Anglo Irish Bank like biffo did spring time last year and theres billions of euros involved there.....

People in this country gotta wake up.

Been saying that for years. Will they? Like fcuk they will.
In all my years I've never come across a first world nation that is currently so complacent, lazy-arsed, self indulgent than the docile muppets in Ireland.
They are the Dail muppets lapdogs at the mo, another month and they will be the EU lapdogs.
Sheep to be lead from one master to another!

If there was coup tomorrow, I'd bloody support it!

Tordelback · 25-09-2009 08:11AM

Have you ever tried to run something while you can't change anything?

Sadly I have, more than once. And do you know what I did, after I'd given it a year of hard effort and failed to make things better? I quit, and explained my reasons for doing so. I didn't sit there taking my salary and hoping nobody would notice that I couldn't do my job, because that would have been a ****ty thing to do.

This is where I part company with what passes for professional morality in this country. It's not about seeing how much you can get for doing as little as possible, it's about doing a good job.

topper75 · 25-09-2009 10:27AM

Biggins wrote: »

Been saying that for years. Will they? Like fcuk they will.
In all my years I've never come across a first world nation that is currently so complacent, lazy-arsed, self indulgent than the docile muppets in Ireland.
They are the Dail muppets lapdogs at the mo, another month and they will be the EU lapdogs.
Sheep to be lead from one master to another!

If there was coup tomorrow, I'd bloody support it!

Sounds crazy but I would support it too now.

Plenty of 'complacent, lazy-arsed, self indulgent than the docile muppets' on the streets of Galway last night for Arthurs Day though. I presume other cities and towns were similar. Country is in trouble I think.

More political Lulz. Fás director got €1m 'golden handshake' for stepping down

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