THE FORMER CHAIRMAN and chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank Seán FitzPatrick and two other former executives were back in court today ahead of their trial for alleged financial irregularities next year.
The trio, including former finance director Willie McAteer and former managing director of lending Pat Whelan, are due to go on trial on 16 charges of providing unlawful financial assistance to 16 people in 2008 in an attempt to inflate the bank’s share price.
It’s expected the trial will last between three and six months when its get under way on 13 January 2014 with the trio set to enter their pleas to each charge at another court hearing on 1 November.
The case was mentioned before the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin today with the three men in attendance:
Books of evidence were served against the three men at a court hearing in October following a lengthy investigation by officials from the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement and the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigations.
The sheer number of documents – amounting to three boxes for each defendant – means that it will take some considerable time for the defendants’ legal team to prepare their case.
FitzPatrick, McAteer and Whelan are alleged to have been involved in providing money to clients of the bank to buy shares in July 2008 in order to bolster its falling share price.
The 16 people include members of the Quinn family and the so-called Maple 10.
Separately Seán FitzPatrick is also facing 12 charges of making misleading financial statements to auditors of the now defunct bank during the 2000s.
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