Northern Ireland

Former Anglo official Neil Adair ‘unaware' of Nama nomination

Former Anglo Irish Bank official Neil Adair has said he was unaware Sammy Wilson nominated him to a committee advising Nama
Former Anglo Irish Bank official Neil Adair has said he was unaware Sammy Wilson nominated him to a committee advising Nama Former Anglo Irish Bank official Neil Adair has said he was unaware Sammy Wilson nominated him to a committee advising Nama

A FORMER senior Anglo Irish Bank official said on Monday he was "completely unaware" that the DUP had nominated him to a committee advising Nama.

Neil Adair said he was informed by the Department of Finance in December that his name had been put forward in a November 2009 letter as a nominee of then minister Sammy Wilson.

"The letter contained names of persons deemed suitable for consideration as possible nominees to the Nama Northern Ireland Advisory Committee," he said.

The Irish government selected another of Mr Wilson's nominees, Frank Cushnahan, in 2010.

Mr Adair, who later became a developer in Belfast, said before December he had not known his name had ever been put forward.

"In addition, at no time was I ever asked by the Department of Finance or the then Minister of Finance as to whether my name could be proposed," he said.

"Had I been asked if I was content that my name to go forward for consideration I would have declined."

Mr Adair's name is mentioned in papers due to be discussed tomorrow by the inquiry by Stormont's finance committee into the £1.2bn Nama Northern Ireland loan sale.

The papers and other Nama issues are to be discussed behind closed doors.