Terry Brennan (Fine Gael)

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire go dtí an Seanad. We have had a good debate which, to be fair, has been embarrassing for many of us. I agree with previous speakers that the costs of the Mahon tribunal, at €300 million, were astronomical. It was a bonanza for a great part of the legal profession and the time it took to complete its deliberations - 15 years - was extraordinary.

I would like to refer to an instance of corruption in the United States involving the former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. Barack Obama was a state senator in Illinois at the time and when he left office, the governor had sole responsibility for appointing. Mr. Blagojevich was lobbied by the hierarchy in the state on behalf of particular individuals to succeed Mr. Obama. He indicated that it was a responsible position and that financial reward would be required. He was subsequently captured on tape stating what were his requirements. His demands to make the appointment were a substantial salary for himself, his wife to be placed on various corporate boards through which it was estimated she would earn $150,000 annually, promises of campaign funds up-front in cash and a cabinet post or ambassadorship to Serbia. He had to pay the price for corruption. He was tried on corruption charges and sentenced to 14 years in jail last December. President Obama has not completed his first term. It did not take the US 15 years to make a decision on what was wrong and it did not cost €300 million to do so. In addition, the governor did not receive a single penny. As previous speakers stated, proper penalties must be enforced in this country and examples must be made of people.