Updated 9.20pm
THE BANKING INQUIRY will not publish a statement from former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm.

An Oireachtas spokesperson said this evening that the the inquiry had received the legal opinion from the Director of Public Prosecutions on the statement provided to the Committee by Drumm, who is in the US.

Consequently, the inquiry has agreed not to publish the statement until it has received its own advice.

Earlier, there was “anger and frustration” among the banking inquiry committee members today after they were told the DPP had concerns about the publication ofDrumm’s witness statement.

An Oireachtas source told TheJournal.ie that the anger and frustration is due to the “eleventh hour” nature of the DPP raising the concern.

It came almost two days after the DPP said that Drumm would not be allowed to make a video statement to the inquiry.

• Tired performances all round as David Drumm controversy casts shadow over Banking Inquiry

Testimony

Drumm’s testimony has been highly anticipated – not least since it emerged at the weekend in the Irish Times that Drumm’s testimony was due to contradict that given by former Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

An Oireachtas spokesperson said that contact had been received from the DPP this morning raising concerns about the Drumm statement.

He added that the committee has asked the DPP for clarification, asking does this mean that the entire statement can’t be published, or if it pertains to part of it – or does it mean bits will have to be redacted.

The committee held a private meeting this morning where it discussed its concerns.

Legal advice

The committee had accepted the DPP’s and its own legal advice in relation to a video statement by Drumm. It has never gone against the advice of the DPP in the past.

Drumm, the former CEO of Anglo, had already provided a written statement to the inquiry.

He had requested to testify by video link, but the inquiry’s legal team advised against it.

A number of the committee members had spoken of their opposition to Drumm giving his evidence by video link from the US.

A file on David Drumm was given to the Director of Public Prosecutions by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement in 2011.

Drumm refuses to cooperate with gardaí and will not return to Ireland.

Read: David Drumm shouldn’t be allowed testify via video-link, Inquiry told>

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