Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee TD, has received Government approval to appoint the independent chair and six ordinary members to a newly established Advisory Council against Economic Crime and Corruption.
The establishment of an Advisory Council was one of the recommendations made in the Review of Structures and Strategies to Prevent, Investigate and Penalise Economic Crime and Corruption. The review, colloquially known as the Hamilton Review, was led by James Hamilton, the former Director of Public Prosecutions.
Minister McEntee is now pleased to announce that Mr Hamilton will also take up the role of independent chair of the new Council.
The Council will advise and make proposals on strategic and policy responses and will be responsible for developing a multi-annual strategy to combat economic crime and corruption.
The Strategy will be accompanied by an action plan. The Strategy and Action Plan, which will then be finalised by the Minister for Justice, will be submitted to Government for their approval, with implementation of the actions ensuring that Ireland has the tools to vigorously tackle white collar criminals and corruption.
The Council will also serve as an Irish ‘centre of excellence’, one which coordinates research and analysis, training, public education and awareness-raising, and promotes best practice.
It will engage and consult with international agencies and bodies, and monitor emerging trends around the world, to ensure that Ireland is at the forefront of international efforts to tackle economic crime and corruption.
Building on its own composition as a body comprised from both the public and private sector, it will also promote and advise on enhanced co-operation and information-sharing within and between the public and private sectors.
Minister McEntee stated:
“We must ensure that we have the tools, policies and strategies to tackle economic crime and corruption. Ireland must also be at the forefront of international efforts to tackle and vigorously pursue criminals who undermine confidence in our economic system and damage economies themselves.
That’s why I am pleased to announce the Government’s approval to formally establish the Advisory Council against Economic Crime and Corruption and to nominate the chair and a number of members to the Council.
The council’s independent chair, Mr James Hamilton, has already provided the State with many years of service through his years as Director of Public Prosecutions and more recently his chairmanship of the group which carried out the Review into Structures and Strategies to Prevent, Investigate and Penalise Economic Crime and Corruption.
I am confident that he and the council will provide outstanding advice and guidance to the Government, as well as across the Irish economy and society, on how we can tackle white collar crime and corruption”.
The Advisory Council will have 19 members plus the Chair. Thirteen members will represent the relevant government departments, enforcement and regulatory agencies from across the public sector.
The remaining six ordinary members, nominated by Minister McEntee, will represent the business and financial sector, academia, and civil society.
The Minister’s nominations follow a selection process which first sought expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates. Following the call for expressions of interest, a short-listing exercise was carried out by the Department of Justice.
Those nominated to the Council are: –
- James Hamilton, former DPP, as Chairperson of the Council
- Barry Robinson, forensic accountant, and Joanelle O’Cleirigh, solicitor, to represent the business and financial sector.
- Raj Chari, Professor of Political Science, Trinity College Dublin, and Robert Gillanders, economist and Director of Dublin City University Centre against Corruption, to represent academia.
- Niamh O’Regan, non-executive director, and Patricia King, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, to represent civil society.
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