The late Mr Haughey, who owned a Georgian mansion, his own island, a yacht and various racehorses, was also alleged to have sold passports illegally and to have “misappropriated” funds raised for a colleague’s liver transplant. Mr. Haughey’s actions had “devalued democracy,” concluded the report.

The Financial Times called the report “profoundly shocking - and utterly unsurprising”, remarking that the real question is “why he was allowed to get away with it?” The FT also noted that “Mr Ahern [the current Prime Minister] needs to do far more to repair the damage done by his predecessor and mentor to restore faith in public life.”