Report into collapse of Seán FitzPatrick trial held back because of litigation fears

Mr FitzPatrick’s 127-day trial before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court – the longest trial in Irish history – ended in May 2017 with Judge John Aylmer directing an acquittal on all 27 charges.

Judge Alymer told the jury that he had made a decision that the prosecution had not established a sufficient case to go to the jury.

The collapse of the trial led to major scrutiny of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), with then-Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald calling the anti-corruption watchdog “not fit for purpose”.

The director of corporate enforcement, Ian Drennan, had offered to present a 415-page report into the collapse of the trial to the joint Oireachtas committee on business, enterprise and innovation, but this will now not go ahead, The Irish Times reports.

In correspondence with the committee chairperson, Mary Butler, Mr Drennan said he wanted legal guarantees to protect him and his office from “litigation risk and associated financial exposure”.

However, Ms Butler said it was not in the power of any Oireachtas committee to grant “absolute privilege”.

She said: “I respect Ian Drennan’s decision and the concerns he raised but I have to work within the parameters set by the Office of the Parliamentary Legal Adviser and protect the committee and its members. My hands are tied.”