The Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) said it secured the restriction of 98 company directors and the disqualification of a further 18 company directors last year.
The CEA, which is Ireland’s company law enforcement agency, said it received over 260 complaints from members of the public last year, 20 referrals from other statutory agencies and 26 protected disclosures.
It also received almost 150 statutory reports from auditors, 19 examiners’ reports, and investigated over 50 additional matters on foot of internal analyses.
The CEA was set up in July 2022 under the Companies Act 2014 and replaced the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE).
A multi-disciplinary agency, the CEA includes accounting staff, legal professionals, seconded members of An Garda Síochána and digital forensics specialists.
Its report for 2025 – its third annual report – also reveals that it submitted two investigation files to the Office of the DPP, relating to suspected company law, theft and fraud and money laundering offences.
It also received directions from the Office of the DPP to charge two individuals with company law and theft and fraud offences, and secured criminal convictions in respect of three individuals. Two of these people also received lengthy periods of disqualification.
CEA Chairperson Ian Drennan said that as well as a steady stream of liquidators’ and auditors’ reports and complaints from members of the public, the CEO has a strong pipeline of cases of varying degrees of scale and complexity, with the organisation’s high profile contributing to the number of issues brought to its attention.
“Since its establishment, the CEA has grown in both size and complexity. The expansion of the authority marks the latest step in the CEA’s evolution and will be transformational,” Mr Drennan said.
“An expanded authority will facilitate a greater degree of member-led oversight of, and involvement in, encouraging compliance with the 2014 Act and driving the CEA’s key enforcement channels of insolvency supervision, civil enforcement, and criminal enforcement respectively,” he added.
Mr Drennan said the overarching objective of its Strategy Statement 2026-2028 is to increase its impact as an organisation and to further add value through what it does.
” Our strategy, which was developed with the benefit of a consultative exercise with key stakeholders, is grounded on three pillars, namely: optimising our delivery of effective enforcement, empowering our stakeholders, and investing in our people,” he said.
“In pursuing these objectives, we will be guided by our core values of professionalism, integrity, and independence – values that have previously been settled upon following a consultation exercise with our staff,” he said.
“The forthcoming expansion of the authority will facilitate a greater member-led focus on quality and on our strategic priorities of added value and stakeholder impact,” he added.
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke said the CEA’s third annual report highlights the work being carried out to ensure company directors are fully aware of their rights and responsibilities.
“It also demonstrates the authority’s commitment to taking robust enforcement action where those responsibilities are not being upheld, helping to safeguard Ireland’s reputation as a stable and attractive place to do business,” the Minister said.
“The annual report showcases the progress made by the CEA in delivering effective enforcement of company law, illustrating the breadth of its work in deterring corporate wrongdoing and acting in the public interest,” he added.
