Mick Wallace, NAMA and the £7M

[Pub Bore]

Pretty bizarre stuff here as Flegs meet Mick Wallace meets a bookie!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34130280

A Belfast businessman has said he has hundreds of hours of tapes showing an "ingrained culture of inappropriate and possibly illegal conduct" across political, banking, legal and accountancy sectors.  Gareth Graham was giving evidence to a Stormont inquiry into the National Asset Management Agency's (Nama) £1bn sale of its Northern Ireland loan portfolio.  Loans held by his property companies were sold to Cerberus, the US investment fund, as part of that deal.  Mr Graham said he has tapes of "thousands" of phone calls made by Frank Cushnahan, a businessman who worked with him and was later a Nama advisor.  The tapes were made between 2005 and 2008 when Mr Cushnahan worked with the Graham family's bookmaking business.  The committee was told the tapes would be made available to law enforcement agencies.

Phonecalls in and out of the Grahams' business were recorded for regulatory reasons.  The business relationship between the Grahams and Mr Cushnahan broke down in 2008.Mr Graham claimed Mr Cushnahan was then "intent on destroying our businesses".
Mr Cushnahan has previously issued a statement to the media denying any wrongdoing.  Mr Graham added that he has already spoken to the National Crime Agency and made a complaint to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.  Mr Graham said Mr Cushnahan relinquished his shareholding in the bookmaking business in 2010 but kept a 5% shareholding in the Grahams' property businesses.
The loans held by those property businesses were later moved into Nama.  Mr Graham said that should have led to a declaration of interest by Mr Cushnahan when he became a Nama advisor.  Mr Cushnahan has previously said he did give up the property firm interests and that it was due to an "administrative error" that he was still listed as a shareholder.  Nama committee minutes seen by the BBC also show that Mr Cushnahan did make declarations of interests on a number of occasions.  Mr Graham is fighting a High Court battle in an attempt to win back control of his firms.  He told the committee that Cerberus had been "ruthless, unjust and unreasonable".

Earlier, the committee voted to call loyalist blogger and flag protestor Jamie Bryson to give evidence to its inquiry.  Mr Bryson has made allegations on social media regarding the deal and has written to the committee claiming to have relevant information.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) members of the committee and the Alliance Party's Judith Cochrane voted against calling him.  The DUP's Jim Wells said he opposed calling Mr Bryson as he could make "even wilder allegations" under committee privilege than the claims on his blogs.  Mrs Cochrane voted against on the basis that the committee needed to take further steps to ensure Mr Bryson's evidence remains with the inquiry's terms of reference.

The committee has been investigating the circumstances of the Nama deal after an allegation by Irish politician Mick Wallace that a Northern Ireland politician was in line for a £7m payment as a result of the transaction.  But it has been constrained in the questions it can ask as events surrounding the loan sale are now being investigated by police.  Last week, the Law Society of Northern Ireland appeared before the committee but was unable to give what it called "substantive evidence" after advice from a senior police officer.

[Jeepers Creepers]

More impeccable news release timing. This will be interesting, that's if we ever hear what these phone calls contained and who they were made to!?

[Over the Bar]

Forget Mick Wallace,  his lookalike Bob Geldof foresaw all this coming as far back as 1979 when he wrote  BaNAMA Republic!!! 

[Applesisapples]

Bryson seems remarkably well informed. He's being fed info from inside the DUP I'd say, my guess would be the Paisleyite faction.

[muppet]

Bryson seems remarkably well informed. He's being fed info from inside the DUP I'd say, my guess would be the Paisleyite faction.

Funny how as soon as an assembly is formed the first instinct is to build a trough.

[Franko]

Bryson is spilling his guts today...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34337965

Nama inquiry: Jamie Bryson claims Peter Robinson was to receive payment

An inquiry has heard an allegation that Northern Ireland's first minister was to receive a payment upon completion of NI's biggest property deal.
Peter Robinson has previously denied he was to receive any payment or benefit as a result of the deal.
The £1.2bn sale was of a portfolio of property loans to US investment firm Cerberus by Nama - the Republic of Ireland's "bad bank".
The allegations were made at a hearing of Stormont's finance committee.
Loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson told the committee that the money was paid into an Isle of Man bank account controlled by Belfast solicitors firm, Tughan's.
Mr Bryson said the other beneficiaries were to be solicitor Ian Coulter, accountant David Watters, ex-Nama advisor Frank Cushnahan and developer Andrew Creighton.
Earlier, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness told the committee there were "very serious questions" about what capacity First Minister Peter Robinson was acting in with regard to the Nama loan sale.
Mr McGuinness said he was not told about meetings and contacts between Nama, bidders for its NI portfolio and DUP ministers.

[WT4E]

Is the end of Robinson?

Makes me wonder about the motives behind the walkout - diversion tactics ahead of this to deflect attention?

[Soup an Samajiz]

how does Jamie Bryson get so much airtime?? can anybody explain right enough? Bein sincere, I don't understand how anything he says gets any credence at all? What is his role other than some boy who decided to shout the loudest over the head of the hole fleg carry on?

[quit yo jibbajabba]

who's doing intewpwetew fow bwyson is what I wanna know

[foxcommander]

Is the end of Robinson?

Makes me wonder about the motives behind the walkout - diversion tactics ahead of this to deflect attention?

Timing worked out pretty well for Robinson to abdicate from his post.

[screenexile]

how does Jamie Bryson get so much airtime?? can anybody explain right enough? Bein sincere, I don't understand how anything he says gets any credence at all? What is his role other than some boy who decided to shout the loudest over the head of the hole fleg carry on?

In fairness he wouldn't be getting such credence only there's a DUP whistle-blower in his ear feeding him all the info about the NAMA deal. . . if it weren't for that he'd have disappeared into obscurity at this stage!

Sinn Fein must be raging about the Kevin McGuigan killing. . . if they'd waited a few weeks the DUP would be fucked and would have had no cover at all!!!

[omaghjoe]

how does Jamie Bryson get so much airtime?? can anybody explain right enough? Bein sincere, I don't understand how anything he says gets any credence at all? What is his role other than some boy who decided to shout the loudest over the head of the hole fleg carry on?

In fairness he wouldn't be getting such credence only there's a DUP whistle-blower in his ear feeding him all the info about the NAMA deal. . . if it weren't for that he'd have disappeared into obscurity at this stage!

Sinn Fein must be raging about the Kevin McGuigan killing. . . if they'd waited a few weeks the DUP would be fucked and would have had no cover at all!!!

Nice calculated way to look at a man's death

[screenexile]

how does Jamie Bryson get so much airtime?? can anybody explain right enough? Bein sincere, I don't understand how anything he says gets any credence at all? What is his role other than some boy who decided to shout the loudest over the head of the hole fleg carry on?

In fairness he wouldn't be getting such credence only there's a DUP whistle-blower in his ear feeding him all the info about the NAMA deal. . . if it weren't for that he'd have disappeared into obscurity at this stage!

Sinn Fein must be raging about the Kevin McGuigan killing. . . if they'd waited a few weeks the DUP would be fucked and would have had no cover at all!!!

Nice calculated way to look at a man's death

Jesus I just realised how callous that sounds but to be honest I'm not badly worried about ex paramilitaries who want to gun each other down.

The fact of the matter is it's let the Unionists squirm their way out of Stormont on their high horse because the IRA haven't gone away.

[Denn Forever]

So if  RIRA Or CIRA or  what ever they call themseles now do something now. its SF's fault cos those guys must have been in the IRA.

[muppet]

So if  RIRA Or CIRA or  what ever they call themseles now do something now. its SF's fault cos those guys must have been in the IRA.

Aye!