Judge John Neilan has said he would rather lie in the gutter with pigs than speak to the chief executives of Irish banks.
At Mullingar District Court last Friday, he criticised the “appalling arrogance” of senior bankers, saying that “if they had any ounce of decency, they would leave their offices and leave in shame with their heads hung low”.
“Are they prepared to do this?” he asked, before answering his own question with a resounding “No” and pointing out that they still want “the same salary and bonuses”.
He also questioned the tolerance of the general public in putting up with the behaviour of senior banking officials.
“There was a time in the past when banks and their buildings would be dismantled stone by stone by the people in outrage” at what is being done, he said.
He made the comments as a couple came before him on foot of a summons by ACC Bank relating to a car loan. They had understood the loan was paid, but because of the way it was structured, they had unknowingly paid for their second car before they had paid for their first.
The bank was seeking €50 per month towards a debt of €11,286.
The judge told the couple that they shouldn’t worry about actions the bank would take against them, because “they have to come through the courts”.
However he questioned the bank executives’ understanding of the difficulties faced by debtors.
“Are they appearing in the District Court trying to deal with payments such as this?” he asked.
When the couple asked why ACC Bank wouldn’t take the €50 a month they offered a year ago and thus saved them this torment, the judge said bankers are “totally, utterly, absolutely removed from people like you and I”.
He accused them of “flying off to lovely places,” of “sunning themselves” and having board meetings so elaborate that “the king of Saudi Arabia wouldn’t be as well feted”.
He also expressed his incredulity at a comment made by former chief executive of Bank of Ireland, Brian Goggin, who said early last year that he would be taking home less than €2 million per year after a pay cut.
Commenting on the Royal Bank of Scotland’s decision to increase its pool of money available for bonuses to €1.3bn, he said “The geniuses that are running the banks are no different to the geniuses who ran us into the ground in the first place”.
He said it was his opinion that the Irish government should have set up a good bank and “put all the moneys and funding for NAMA and the banks [into it] to see that the people of the nation can run their businesses” and go about their daily lives.
The couple before the court are to try to restructure a credit union loan so they can afford to pay €40 per week to the ACC. However it is likely, the court heard, that ACC will look for more money when the smaller credit union loan is paid.
They were reluctant to interfere with their credit union loan because they felt that in an emergency they would be able to go to the credit union but “the ACC aren’t going to entertain us”.
The judge concluded by saying that if he ever met one of the banking executives he would walk away.
“I would sooner lie in the gutter with a pig,” he said.
