Deliberations in David Drumm trial stall as juror ‘indisposed’

The jury at the conspiracy to defraud and false accounting trial of former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm have paused in their deliberations, due to a juror being "indisposed" and unavailable to attend court.

Judge Karen O’Connor told the jury that she had no alternative but to send them home for the day. She said courts services had been in contact with the juror and would have further information later.

They are expected to resume deliberations at noon on Friday.

The nine men and three women began considering a verdict on Tuesday, day 81 of proceedings, after one of the longest running trials in the history of the State.

They have deliberated for a total of three hours and nine minutes following the 16-week trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

On Monday, Judge O’Connor told jurors that she required a unanimous verdict in relation to both counts against Mr Drumm (51).

“However, you must consider each count separately and can acquit or convict on either or both,” she said.

The judge reminded them that Mr Drumm has pleaded not guilty and was presumed innocent and it was only for the jury to find otherwise.

She said they were dealing with two separate trials within a trial, and asked them to consider each of the charges against the defendant separately.

It is the State’s case that Mr Drumm conspired with Irish Life & Permanent’s former chief executive, Denis Casey, Anglo’s former financial director Willie McAteer and former Head of Treasury at Anglo, John Bowe, and others to carry out €7.2 billion in fraudulent transactions in order to bolster the customer deposits figure on the bank’s balance sheet.

At the opening of his trial in February, Mr Drumm’s lawyers told the jury that he accepts that the multi-million euro transactions took place between Anglo and ILP in 2008 but disputes that they were fraudulent or dishonest.

Mr Drumm of Skerries, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to defraud depositors and investors at Anglo by “dishonestly” creating the impression that deposits in 2008 were €7.2 billion larger than they were.

He has also pleaded not guilty to false accounting on December 3rd, 2008, by furnishing information to the market that Anglo’s 2008 deposits were €7.2 billion larger than they were.