Bye, bye, Mr Appleby

[PaddyJoe]

Paul Appleby, Director of the Office of Corporate Enforcement, slips off quietly at the end of the month.

Back in the mid-1990s, when journalist Sam Smyth’s report about Ben Dunne’s dealings with Michael Lowry led, in time, to the establishment of the McCracken (Dunnes Payments) Tribunal, Appleby was one of two or three civil servants involved in the administration of company law in Ireland.

The explosion of company law inquiries that flowed from the unveiling of the secretive Ansbacher Deposits system, as well as the disclosure by RTÉ of outrageous practices at NIB, led the then Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney to establish the ODCE, with Appleby as the first director.

In its 2011 annual report, the office reviewed the fruit of its first 10 years, pointing out that it had prosecuted more than 100 companies and company directors on approximately 300 criminal charges as well as being involved in the disqualification and restriction of a large number of people from acting as company directors.

This punitive element of the work has been matched by an advocacy role that has involved the publication of company law guidance notes and the attendance of staff at more than 600 conferences and such events.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...322852695.html

[Slim Buddha]

Is he being replaced ??

[PaddyJoe]

Is he being replaced ??

Yep, but no announcement as to who the replacement is yet.

[Slim Buddha]

Let's hope his successor uses the powers of the office properly and if those powers are inadequate, let him/her say so!!!

Loudly!!

[PaddyJoe]

Bertie wasn't keen on giving Appleby more staff when he looked for them in 2007. He had been asking for two years. Curious that.

The Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPA) today voiced its support for the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) in its call for additional resources to properly carry out its function but Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he will have to "wait his turn" for the extra resources he requires.

Appleby has said said that only two of his staff can analyse data held on computers and this delayed his work. He is also seeking more than 20 additional staff, including six extra Garda�, to handle a growing case load. Appleby has been corresponding with the Government on the issue over the past two years.

http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancen...10009255.shtml

[C. Flower]

Bertie wasn't keen on giving Appleby more staff when he looked for them in 2007. He had been asking for two years. Curious that.


http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancen...10009255.shtml

Quietly.

Mr. Appleby must know a lot. It is not good that he is going before the investigation is complete.

I hope he will make himself available to his successor.

[DCon]

Is he being replaced ??

maybe alan dukes could do with more taxpayer money

[Baron von Biffo]

Quietly.

Mr. Appleby must know a lot. It is not good that he is going before the investigation is complete.

I hope he will make himself available to his successor.

He has already demonstrated loyalty to the state by remaining in his post at his old salary when he had the power to demand a private sector rate.

[DCon]

So the new boss was responsible for "policing" the auditing and accounting profession for the last 8 years.

Remind me again how many audits the banks, large developer companies etc failed?

Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) chief executive Ian Drennan was yesterday appointed as only the second director of corporate enforcement since the position was established in 2001. Mr Drennan previously worked at the ODCE as well as the Department of Finance and the Comptroller & Auditor General’s office. He left the ODCE in 2004 to join the IAASA.

He also worked in the Departments of Finance and Health before joining the ODCE for the first time.

He's good at stating the obvious at least

"The current model of financial reporting and audit has not met public expectations in an lrish context and has, as a consequence, been brought into disrepute,'' the group said in a submission last year. The submission says it is time to allow auditors to move beyond reporting the "normal'' issues and started reporting matters of public interest even if no regulations or laws are broken.

http://www.independent.ie/business/i...t-3213986.html

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

He has already demonstrated loyalty to the state by remaining in his post at his old salary when he had the power to demand a private sector rate.

Benchmarking again, Biffo? Given the performance of civil servants such as Appleby and despite his staff's sterling 'attendance at over 600 conferences' your assumption that he would have survived in the private sector is an assumption too far.

And he was quick enough to benchmark himself back into the civil service for precisely one day in order to obtain 300,000 euros from the Irish taxpayer. Benchmarking that behaviour in the private sector to shareholders' money and he and his mates would be facing possible fraud charges.

[disability student]

Appleby was a civil servant but with no legal qualifications to run that place. He was greedy and only thinking for himself re €300K for one day, that was far too much in this present economic climate. He wasn't acting like any civil servant re public interest. Long ago, I spoke to a barrister who worked mainly in area of torts and company law as that barrister was scathing with criticism towards Appleby.

That barrister asked me how many companies did Appleby prosecute at his helm during the last ten years? Guess what ... i think it was under seven companies, which was a pittance and farce..

New appointment doesn't inspire me at all as he came from Accounting and Auditing where they sat on the fence and did nothing over the years. oh great little country isn't?

That's the area where auditing companies didn't catch Fitzpatrick's warehousing loans hidden over the last eight years before Fitzpatrick was caught. Also these companies that he was on watch didn't look deeply investigate beyond the balance sheet. Since 2004, he didn't want to rock the boat and stayed then.

I would have preferred an outsider with a legal mind to run that office. Govt took the easy option & route with regards to new appointment.