Makhlouf Says He Looks Forward to Irish Central Bank Job After Row

(Bloomberg) -- Gabriel Makhlouf, Ireland’s incoming central bank governor, made clear he intends to take up his role despite a controversy which dogged the end of his tenure as New Zealand’s top Treasury official.

In June, Makhlouf escaped dismissal with a rebuke from authorities for failing to take responsibility for a security breach around sensitive budget information in New Zealand. He was appointed as Ireland’s central bank governor in May, and takes up the role next month.

In a letter to Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, published on the ministry’s website on Wednesday in Dublin, he said he accepts that he could have described the incident “more clearly and with a different emphasis.”

“I am pleased my honesty, integrity and political neutrality were not in question,” he wrote, adding he was a “dedicated” public servant who looked forward to taking up his role in Dublin.

Makhlouf is the country’s first non-Irish governor, and his appointment continued a trend of hiring foreigners with international experience for central banks in recent years.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dara Doyle in Dublin at ddoyle1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net

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