Tactics in Roscommon KBC Bank Eviction Unacceptable Says Crowe

20th December, 2018 – by Seán Crowe

Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe has described the tactics used by KBC bank in enforcing repossession in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon were “unacceptable and intolerable”.

Crowe said he was horrified by the images on social media of senior citizens being manhandled and evicted from their home and said the issue highlighted the completely unregulated nature of receivers and the people employed to enforce evictions.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“I was shocked at the social media video footage from Roscommon showing the aggression and violence perpetrated in enforcing an eviction order on an elderly family. KBC Bank is responsible for this eviction and must be ultimately held to account. Sinn Fein has written to the Oireachtas Finance Committee calling for KBC and their agents involved in this eviction to appear before its Committee to explain their actions and thuggish behaviour.

“For years now, Sinn Fein has been seeking the regulation of receivers and their employees – something that is completely lacking.  Almost three years ago, in January 2016 then Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that the working group on company law reform would consider this issue. In October, officials informed us that it still hasn’t even looked at the issue.

“Public anger is rising at the constant Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil enabling of banks, these modern day bailiffs, and their facilitation of vulture funds to act anyway they like.

“Only in the last couple of weeks the, government voted against an anti-evictions Bill. At the same time, we have State owned banks selling thousands of viable mortgages (that are meeting their arrangements) to a vulture fund in a cosy carve up that is incredibly tax free.

The  culture of banks first and people last has been built by Fine Gael and enabled by Fianna Fail which has led to the confidence in bailed out banks who know they  can evict people out of their homes while ignoring Central Bank codes of conduct, selling them to unregulated, untaxed vultures, and hiring shadowy individuals enforce their diktat.

“The scenes from the eviction Strokestown in County Roscommon were thuggish and unacceptable.

The family evicted have quite rightly challenged the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on his failure  to address the actions of unidentified security personnel who forcibly and with considerable violence entered their home in front of a massive Garda presence that oversaw this eviction and to the obvious concerns about the legality of this eviction notice

“The Oireachtas also needs to address the immediate issue and concerns around banks employing security firms with no real accountability to evict decent hard working families.

“These out of control banks and their henchmen should cease this type of action and make greater attempts to resolve these difficult cases through the many other avenues open to them.”

ENDS