Businessman faces 'longer period' in jail

HIGH COURT: A Dublin businessman, Mr Thomas O'Keeffe, who yesterday finished a two-week prison term for contempt of court, faces a "significantly longer period" in jail if he continues not to comply with orders to provide information about large sums of money he was given to invest.

The president of the High Court, Mr Justice Finnegan, yesterday gave Mr O'Keeffe, with an address at the Sweepstakes, Ballsbridge, Dublin, until May 24th to comply with court orders requiring him to give information about some $5 million (€5.5 million) which a US businessman, Mr John O'Neill, had given him to invest.

Mr O'Keeffe must also give information about some €700,000 given to him by other investors, including the professional golfer, Mr Des Smyth.

Under existing orders, Mr O'Keeffe must also provide information to lawyers for the investors in relation to his assets and bank accounts.

Mr Justice Finnegan warned Mr O'Keeffe that if he failed to comply, he would go to jail for a "significantly longer period" than the two-week term he has already served, which was imposed by Mr Justice Kearns.

Mr O'Keeffe, who was in court, said he had given all the information in his possession and had complied with the orders. This assertion was disputed by Mr John Trainor SC, for Mr O'Neill, and by Mr Charles Meenan SC, for the other investors. Mr Trainor also said thousands of pounds had been moving in and out of accounts relating to the proceedings and Mr O'Keeffe had refused to be interviewed by the investors' lawyers.

Counsel added that they had asked Mr O'Keeffe's former solicitor to forward certain information to them. The solicitor had sought permission from Mr O'Keeffe to do this but Mr O'Keeffe refused permission.

Mr Meenan asked that orders restraining Mr O'Keeffe from leaving the jurisdiction or from reducing his assets should also continue. He said Mr O'Keeffe had a history of not turning up in court for "spurious" reasons. Mr Justice Finnegan said those orders remained in place.

Mr O'Keeffe said he had been locked up in a four-person cell with "three hardened criminals" who smoked and played music all night. He had to sleep on a top bunk. He also complaind he had not been seen by a doctor although he had a heart condition.

He asked for three to four weeks to meet the court's requirements. He said he had no money or assets and no lawyer would take on his case because of the publicity accorded to it.

The media had already tried and condemned him, he complained.

Mr Justice Finnegan told Mr O'Keeffe he had been condemned for not complying with court orders. He would give Mr O'Keeffe until May 24th to do so. If not, he faced a significantly longer period in jail. "It's in your own hands," he said.