John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No regulation or legislation will force a vulture fund to come before us as a finance committee to discuss all the issues vulture funds are imposing on Irish people, such as repossessing homes and so on. On the other side of this, there is all the legislation we are discussing, which can be simply imposed in member states without due consideration for the honesty of family members who are caught up in this. I would prefer if the EU directive stated that everyone is in this and outlined how we are going to proceed. I do not wish to be categorised - I say this to our guest from the Department of Justice - under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) (Amendment) Act 2010. It should be taken out of that and imposed directly and rigidly on politicians, but we should be told it is about that. I should not be linked to that legislation. I am not a terrorist and I do not launder money.

I am only outlining what has been said to me by Members of this House. Others are quite afraid to say it for fear it might be interpreted as them having concerns. Some members of this committee are sitting around the table and I am sure the other members are listening to the debate in their rooms, and I can explain why they are listening. They are afraid to say it themselves in case they are misrepresented. Therefore, because of the way this whole saga has been set up, it is back to officials saying they will not accept the consensus and that, perhaps, politicians should be rigidly examined and scrutinised. I accept all that - in fact, I would want it - but I do not believe it should extend to my family members, and there are others who feel the same.

Is a drug dealer a politically exposed person? He or she would have the wherewithal to buy political favouritism.