Laws And Lawyers

Only Greece, Spain and one or two Eastern European countries have overshadowed the severity of ­Ireland’s economic downfall. But it does have an ace in the hole, in its hard-earned reputation as a hotspot for funds.
As Ireland focuses on cementing its position as one of the world’s leading ­financial service centres, and capitalising on investors’ post-crash appetite for more ­regulation, the spectre of Bernard Madoff and his $65bn (£39.94bn) Ponzi scheme looms, threatening to taint the country’s hard-earned reputation as a safer alternative to the offshore centres.