Sean Kelly MEP secures the release of infamous Trichet-Lenihan letters

Sean Kelly MEP can confirm that the ECB has released a total of four letters sent by the then ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet to the former Irish Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, in the lead up to the bailout in 2010, following his requests for their release in the interests of transparency. The letters have been published publicly on the ECB website this afternoon, according to MEP Kelly.

“The ECB had already indicated to me that it would publicly release the infamous November 19^th 2010 letter, following many requests to them since July of this year. I last week further requested that they also release another three letters of relevance between Lenihan and Trichet. This afternoon, the ECB confirmed that they will release a total of four letters and will publish these details on their website shortly.”

The four letters are dated: 15^th October, 4^th November, 19^th November, and 21st November 2010. They are all signed by the then ECB President Trichet and sent to the late Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan.

“This is vital information and of public interest given the ongoing banking inquiry in Ireland. It will be most helpful for the ECB to release the series of letters leading up to that particular piece of correspondence, in order to provide greater context and insight into the situation and negotiations surrounding the bailout,” Mr Kelly said in Brussels.

Mr Kelly, the Leader of the Fine Gael delegation in the European Parliament, last week confirmed that the ECB intended to decide on the release of the infamous letter today (November 6^th), following his discussions on the matter directly with the ECB.

 

 Trichet-Lenihan letters