The boardroom criminals could not have survived without the active support of a corrupt political system

Chief Justice Susan Denham’s call for businesses to put ethics back in their boardrooms is akin to asking criminals to stop breaking the law.

Not all businesses are ethical free zones so it is reasonable to assume, generally speaking, that Justice Denham is referring to the boardroom criminals of the Celtic Tiger.

The criminals who could not have committed their crimes without the full support and encouragement of our corrupt political system.

If our political system was not corrupt there would have been a proper regulatory system in place with the power and political support to root out the boardroom criminals.

Two particular sets of figures in the Courts Service annual report reveal much about the consequences and reaction to the collapse of the economy.

The number of restriction orders imposed on company directors grew by 50% last year while the number of directors disqualified increased by a massive 350%

In other words, the corrupt political system, for the time being at least, does not have the same influence over regulators.

There was an 82% rise in the number of people jailed for non-payment of debt, a 14% increase in tenant ejectments and 7% rise in orders to wind up companies.

These figures reflect the consequences of political corruption on ordinary citizens and businesses.