Northern Ireland

Mick Wallace tells Dáil £45m in 'fixer fees' paid out over Nama deal

Mick Wallace
Mick Wallace Mick Wallace

Independent TD Mick Wallace has told the Dáil that £45 million in "fixer fees" have been paid in relation to the Nama property deal in the north.

The maverick politician rocked Stormont in July after he claimed a £7m offshore fund linked to the Nama deal was earmarked for a northern politician or party.

His explosive claims under Dail parliamentary privilege have sparked a criminal investigation and inquiries on both sides of the border.

Today, Mr Wallace told the Dáil that the £7m was "only for openers".

"It is nonsense for Nama to suggest that the problems are all about the purchase. There are serious problems about the sale of Project Eagle to Cerberus and it stinks to the high heavens," he said.

Mr Wallace called on the Dublin government to stop treating the allegations as a northern problem.

"Cerberus have been able to sell loans for double what they paid for them in a very short space of time. Why were Nama not able to do that?" he said.

"Nama sold Project Eagle to Cerberus for approx 27p in the pound. That missing 73p has been picked up by the Irish taxpayer in the south of Ireland not the north. This isn't just a northern problem. This is a seriously southern problem."

Yesterday, DUP leader Peter Robinson denied claims that he was set to benefit from the deal.

"I repeat, I neither received, expected to receive, sought, nor was I offered a single penny as a result of the Nama sale," he said.

The explosive claims were made by loyalist blogger and flag protester Jamie Bryson as he attend the finance committee inquiry into the Nama deal.

Appearing at the committee yesterday, Mr Bryson named the DUP leader among five people to receive a share of a "success fee" linked to the sale last year of Nama's northern property loans portfolio to US investment firm Cerberus.

The committee heard that the fee was to be paid into an off-shore account controlled by Ian Coulter, a former managing partner of Belfast-based law firm Tughans.

"This was a success fee that was to be paid in to a dormant Danske Bank account in the Donegall Square West branch (in Belfast) and from there it was transferred to an off-shore account," Mr Bryson said.