Former CEO of Anglo Irish Bank Seán Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick acquitted on all charges. Jury to be dismissed tomorrow.
— Mark Tighe (@marktigheST) May 23, 2017
Charges against Sean Fitzpatrick dismissed after series of wrongdoings by investigators including coaching witnesses + destroying evidence.
— Mark Tighe (@marktigheST) May 23, 2017
More as they get it.
Related: Prosecution finishes evidence in FitzPatrick trial (April 28, 2017, RTE)
UPDATE:
Sean Fitzpatrick says “it’s a wonderful day” for him and his family as he leaves court and thanks his legal team. pic.twitter.com/yAMq6om25M
— Mark Tighe (@marktigheST) May 23, 2017
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…good man Seanie…good move not to get involved in that garlic import scam…
Anyone surprised?
10 years to get to this point….
an’ the story on Costs?
anyone
if i recall correctly, he got Legal Aid.
Now before we all lose our cool on that score, there’s a reason that LA is given; if he didn’t get it, and then a conviction is secured because he, ahem ‘couldn’t afford a good defence team’ then an overturn of the verdict is likely and you can’t come at him again…
I’m not saying it’s pretty, but there *is* a rationale for it.
no its not pretty but I agree
besides it the only way anyone is getting paid by that individual
Either way, if acquitted his costs would probably have been paid by the state,
no – if you’re acquitted in a criminal case and you pay your own costs (because you can afford to) you’re left with the bill.
If you’re acquitted you can apply to have the costs paid by the state.
Like Seanie did the last time: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/fitzpatrick-loses-application-to-have-state-pay-his-trial-costs-1.1842695
fair enough; you can apply with no guarantee as to outcome.
That’s a far cry from “Either way, if acquitted his costs would probably have been paid by the state,”
Moot point in any event.
This is basically still a feudal country.
+1
Gosh! Shocker!
Delighted for the lad.
As are all scumbags..
Moderators please dav is being VERY rude
youd almost think they ballsed up the case on purpose
There’s nobody that competent in the DPP/ODCE/Guards. This is just incompetence.
+1
Conduct of ODCE was ridiculously amateur. Acquittal was always the most likely outcome once that came out.
Sounds about right for Ireland. Years and years of work, cost, and hours lost cause they system, or the people in it, are incompetent.
nahhh
tis the eternal Jobs for the Boys merrie-go-round
it’s amazing how you get modded on this, even just for expressing solidarity for Seanie, wt actual fupp :(
Coaching witnesses and destroying evidence?
You would think that they would have had a decent enough case without needing to resort to faking it.
no
if there are Technical faults
it goes nowhere
They should have never moved forward with the trial. I don’t know yet what exactly emerged today but the issues regarding coaching and tainted evidence have been known from the beginning. Whatever you think of Fitzpatrick this has been a complete cock-up from the financial fraud investigators and the DPP and a total waste of taxpayers money.
I have to agree
it was all a display to let on they were doing sum’ting and then saying ‘sur t’was the law
Watch now and see all the Board gigs he’s going to get
his Fitness and Probity checks are now officially ok
aren’t they
has he been adjudicated Bankrupt ah’tall
Wow
I’m glad he got off without a proper trial: we’re talking about a man of wealth and prestige here, not some lowlife scum who works a 9-5 and struggles with inadequate schooling, health service and housing provisions.
Imagine the audacity to even TRY to put one of “the lads” on trial: this country is focked.
+1
tell ye one ting lads
Johnny Peace Man is going to go viral on this news
All the other rentagobs too
I am angry as hell that this man is acquitted. Is he innocent….hell no. The 1% look after their own. No one is to blame for the debt that was FRAUDULENTLY put on every persons back and the next two generations at least. We are supposed to be a republic with laws that are enforced and yet again, I know that the weak and the low will jump on this message and ridicule it. But FFS I am sick of this. If I do anything wrong I will be nailed to the cross. I wish Sean forgot to pay his tv license and he might meet justice but I am sure he knows someone that can fix that too. I am at my lowest now in my belief in this so called republic.
Me too. You just kind of accept total injustice now. Its part of being Irish. All of the money involved in this fraud, all of the debts our society has to pay because of Seans actions. And then he gets off!!
But don’t worry because Leo Varadkar is on a war with welfare cheats, the damage they have done compared to Sean Fitzpatrick is minscule. Laws don’t apply to the rich in Ireland, only the average workers and the poor We have a corrupt, rotten culture in Poiltics, Finance and Law and I’m glad I’m leaving soon.
Where are you going? USA? UK? South Africa? Australia? New Zealand? UAE? Canada? Its the same everywhere, mostly worse. The poor get squeezed here but it’s better than being scapegoated and imprisoned for profit. I hope Varadkar crucifies the real welfare cheats. it will be good for the real poor . And by “good” I mean a stay of execution for the upcoming scapegoating and imprisonment of poor people when the next financial crisis hit ( and it IS coming , make no mistake) . Get ready poor people. save your cash, don’t get pregnant, the welfare state is getting farmed out to G4S , so the days of getting knocked up and getting a rent free duplex is over.
No need for a justice system with you then
Alan I feel your pain brother I really do. The only thing left to do is have the craic. We can do that in large numbers by being civilly disobedient to there laws that they don’t have to live by. I’m open to other suggestions but this is the best one I’ve heard. As long as we are organised and peaceful we will win. There is more of us than there is of them. A public face off wouldn’t do any harm at all.
And don’t forget now folks, welfare cheats cheat us all.
But Seanie is grand. He’s grand.
Thats it
Mildred wins the tinternet today
In fairness to Seanie, I’d say he’s one of the ones that got up early in the morning.
What he did doing the waking hours was a little bit more problematic.
The golden circle looks after it’s own. He’ll have a good old laugh down the golf club at this. All the great and good lining up to offer him a handshake and a drink, laughing at the plebs who think there is justice in this land.
Ah well I’m sure the courts will be back prosecuting people for claiming welfare…
ah now, sure aren’t the courts are too busy prosecuting water protesters?
yes, the true enemies of the state… and it’s golden circle..
the golden shower, more ya
Jealous much Dav? I’m sure you can afford the odd round of pitch and putt o?
“A good day to bury bad news.”
My thoughts exactly
If I had the opportunity, or the means, to get out of this kip of a country I would – and as quickly as possible.
Lets look on the bright side…next up is Drummer
Sure we are where we are, aren’t we Seanie? Seanie? SEANIE!?!?!?
http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/debtclock/ireland
I really wish I hadn’t clicked on that
The golden shower one?
+313 euro per second
Sean Fitz has been acquitted of 27 charges because evidence was shredded. It’s not plausible to believe that all of the charges needed to be dismissed.
The man who shredded the evidence is a Solicitor. It’s not plausible to believe that this was an error.
So, on the balance of probabilities I believe that Fitzpatrick should have been convicted on some of the 27 charges and that Mr Shredder should have been convicted on destroying evidence.
I might be wrong.
Sean FitzPatrick has pleaded not guilty to 27 offences under the 1990 Companies Act. These include 22 charges of making a misleading, false or deceptive statement to auditors and five charges of furnishing false information in the years of 2002-2007.
It was while playing golf with Brian Cowen that the plan was hatched to save the bankers and financially cripple the citizens and their offsprings. It worked a treat.
Judge Aylmer directed the jury to find Sean Fitzpatrick not guilty of all charges because Kevin O’Connell of ODCE (Office Director of Corporate Enforcement) did not build a fair case against Fitzpatrick
Judge Aylmer said that the investigation, carried out by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), fell short of an unbiased, impartial, balanced investigation that an accused is entitled to.
This should mean that Kevin O’Connell and ODCE should now go on trial for their harassment of Sean Fitzgerald. Let’s follow the Gardai follow that lead.
Surely Seanie can sue the ODCE.
Anything less would be white collar crime walking out the doors of justice burning new born babies as he laughs off into a golf course where Brian Cowen and Dennis O’Brien are waiting with the champagne on ice.
They are absolutely takin the piss. They won’t be happy until the government legal system and banking fraternity take the marrow from the bone of every man woman and child in this country. We deserve nothing because we don’t fight for anything. It can only be the habit of bowing down to imperial masters that has us so cowardly.
90 days into the trial Judge Aylmer told the jurors they should not make any alterations to their plans. He thanked them for their patience and said it must be a frustrating process for them. “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
Tomorrow when the judge directs the jury to drop the case I hope there is at least one patriot who will stand up and be counted and veto the judge on the grounds that this trial is a scam.
126 days. Imagine the bills racked up by solicitors and the judge in that period. Probably all quaffing champagne somewhere now having a good giggle thanking the taxpayer.
The Irish criminal justice system must be the most expensive farce on the planet.
Failed state
The outcome of this case shows that despite everything that has happened over the past decade, there is absolutely no appetite whatsoever to prosecute white collar criminals. It wasn’t just Seanie Fitz who was to blame here – the auditors and lawyers, legal advisers working for Anglo at the time also acted in a very questionable manner. Faced with the prospect of taking on major law firms, banks and auditors, what does the Government do? It puts out a poorly resourced organisation like the ODCE to fight the State’s corner. It was like sending Scunthorpe out to face Real Madrid for all the good it did. The one thing that puzzles me about this case however, is why did the Garda Fraud Squad not get involved as this was alleged fraud on a massive scale, probably the biggest such case in the Irish State’s history. So why did they not weigh in – was it the presence of ties and pinstripes?