Govt Criticised Over 'Extremely Narrow Review' In Siteserv Controversey

The government have been criticised for its "extremely narrow review" into the controversial sale of Siteserv.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin made the comments following the government announcement about the review into "very serious questions surrounding the sale of Siteserv".

Deputy Martin said: "This an extremely weak attempt by Government to give the impression of an inquiry while avoiding any real independent investigation into the very serious questions surrounding the sale of Siteserv.

"The appointment of a judge to merely 'monitor certain transactions' at the IBRC does not go nearly far enough. The terms of reference are far too narrow. There is no effort whatsoever to address the fundamental conflict of interest that still remains unchallenged. A 'monitoring' role will do nothing to get to the bottom of the Siteserv sale and the decisions that were made on behalf of taxpayers.

"This is a very clear attempt by Government to avoid the full and independent investigation that this controversy clearly warrants. Attempts have been made right from the start to stop information from getting into the public domain. The only way to find out exactly what happened is to establish a Commission of Investigation without further delay."

(MH/CD)