The former boss of Anglo Irish Bank has apologised for his role in the collapse of the lender which has cost the Irish taxpayer billions of euros, according to extracts from a new book on Sunday. Sean FitzPatrick, who was chief executive officer before he became chairman of the bank and is now bankrupt, apologised to "anyone who has suffered".
"I am very happy to put my hands up. I am very happy to apologise to all my creditors," he said in extracts from a new book, "The FitzPatrick Tapes", published in the Irish edition of The Sunday Times.
"I don't feel ashamed, but I do feel regret, very serious regret, and I am sorry that it is going to cause people losses. Anyone who has suffered on that, I really am sorry."
Anglo Irish Bank, which had been Ireland's third biggest bank, was nationalised two years ago and has since required a number of government bailouts.
Fitzpatrick resigned as chairman in December 2008 when it was revealed he moved some 87 million euros (112 million dollars) in personal loans in and out of the bank to a building society every year to conceal them from the public.
He had temporarily transferred the loans every year for eight years up until 2007 so they did not show up in the bank's report in the note relating to directors' loans. The newspaper said that FitzPatrick, who denied any illegality, admitted concealing his loans was "wrong" and a "mistake".
Fitzpatrick, who was declared bankrupt last year, was also arrested and questioned by police last year but was released without charge.
Last week Ireland's corporate watchdog, the Director of Corporate Enforcement, said a long-running probe into Anglo would take more time, adding that substantial progress had been made so far.
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