DAVID DRUMM’S MOTHER Mary, his wife Lorraine, the couple’s friends and neighbours and a number of the banker’s business colleagues have written letters of support for the former Anglo Irish Bank CEO ahead of his bail hearing tomorrow.
Drumm, who has been living in the US since 2009, faces 33 charges if Ireland is successful in its extradition request. He is seeking to be released on bail pending his extradition hearing in Boston on the grounds that he is not a danger to the community or a flight risk.
In documents filed earlier this week to Massachusetts District Court, Drumm’s lawyers argued that he and his family were active members of their community, even helping to prepare and distribute food baskets for the homeless each Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Mother’s letter
A number of typed and handwritten letters were also submitted to the court this week, including the letter from his 80-year-old mother. In her plea to the judge, Mary Drumm said her son had been her “rock” all his working life “in all my good and bad days”.
She notes:
I know you would probably say that of course I would say great things about my son David. I have always only wanted justice be done & I have always believed justice will be done.
The note is signed-off with this plea:
Your compassion in David’s case will be in my prayers forever & thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Lorraine Drumm
In her letter to judge Donald Cabell, Lorraine Drumm describes her husband as a good, honest man and a wonderful father to their two daughters.
“He is devastated to be away from us – and to be causing so much worry and pain. We are heartbroken without him at home. We are also in shock that David could be held in custody when he has tried everything he could to deal with the situation we find ourselves in.”
Over the two-page letter she describes how she and David spent years living in Boston in the late 1990s and early 2000s before moving back to Ireland in 2003. Details of their family life – soccer teams coached by her husband, schools attended by their daughters – have been redacted by court officials.
Move to New York and back
Offering an insight into their daily life in recent years she writes that “David works as the chief investment officer of a family office asset management company that is located in New York”.
“Though he does his best to work from home as much as possible, he does travel to New York.
“At first the girls and I had a hard time adjusting to David being away from home. We missed him terribly so we made the difficult decision to move to New York in July 2011.”
Their daughters were unhappy at their new school, however, so the family returned to their house in Wellesley in Greater Boston in 2013.
“David returned to working remotely, and commuting when necessary.”
Lorraine Drumm writes that her husband’s job is “crucial for our family” and that as a result “I am absolutely positive that David would not flee”.
Since she had offered to put their home up for collateral and offered to turn over her and their daughters’ passports “if David left there would be devastating consequences – we would be homeless, penniless, and unable to travel”.
“He would absolutely never do that to us.”
Other letters
Another letter in support of the former Anglo CEO – from a local church – states that the Drumms have been faithful in church attendance for the last six years and that “their strong faith has been demonstrated to me”.
One from a lawyer representing both Drumm and the New York investment company he works for wrote to tell the judge about “my personal knowledge of Mr. Drumm’s conduct on a personal and business level and enthusiastically vouch for his good character and strong set of values, which I have witnessed many times”.
“Mr Drumm is employed as the chief investment officer,” says the letter, and “occupies a crucial position in the business which requires a high level of respect, confidence and trust”.
After detailing Drumm’s various skills and responsibilities, the lawyer states that:
“Notwithstanding the severe obstacles that his imprisonment presents, the Company has decided to keep his position open and would eagerly welcome him back to continue in his current capacity even if he works exclusively from the confines of his home.”
Other friends, neighbours, members of the community and business colleagues of the banker also wrote letters of support ahead of the bail hearing, which is set to take place in Boston tomorrow.
Drumm’s lawyers argue in their submission to the court that he never fled from Ireland despite being the subject of “relentless negative coverage in the Irish press over allegations relating to the worldwide financial crisis”.
Last month, his lawyer Tracey Miner told Judge Cabell that she would need three to four months to prepare Drumm’s case against the extradition request.
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