Put up or shut up, senator

A FIANNA Fail senator is about to get a wrap across the knuckles by way of a letter from the bosses at the National Asset Management Agency.

Senator Brian O Domhnaill (pictured) claimed in the Seanad that the State's bad bank was acting disgracefully and that it was time it was fully investigated.

According to a report of Wednesday's proceedings, the Senator alleged that two senior officials involved in the HSBC violations of anti-money laundering rules now work for NAMA, and that another individual allegedly responsible for handing out a lucrative contract to a property asset company while working for NAMA, now works for the property company.

Not so, says NAMA (Although, we obviously know that former HSBC chief executive Michael Geoghegan, who is Finance Minister Michael Noonan's top adviser on NAMA, was the most senior executive at HSBC for much of the period investigated by the US authorities).

Now NAMA bosses have written a stiff letter to the good senator accusing him of making groundless allegations without checking with them first, and demanding that he either substantiate his claims or withdraw them.

Over to you, Brian ...