McKillen believed to have made complaint over Nama to Garda

Irish property developer Paddy McKillen is believed to be the person who made a complaint to the Garda recently in relation to improper behaviour by officials at the National Asset Management Agency.

The complaint was made earlier this month and was the subject of media reports this week. A spokeswoman for Mr McKillen confirmed he had made a complaint to the Garda in relation to Nama earlier in the year. Informed sources have told The Irish Times that this latest complaint was made by Mr McKillen.

Details of this complaint made by the Northern Ireland businessman could emerge today as part of a High Court action by Mr McKillen, who is seeking to restrain Irish Bank Resolution Corporation from selling certain parts of his loan portfolio to the Barclay brothers in the UK.

Legal spat
This long-running legal spat relates to €246 million worth of loans owed by Mr McKillen to IBRC, secured by a charge on certain assets including shares in Coroin Ltd.

Coroin is a company involved in the operation of three luxury hotels in the UK – Claridge’s, the Connaught and the Berkeley. The Barclay brothers are seeking to buy Mr McKillen’s loans.

A spokesman for Nama reiterated a statement from Monday that the agency has received no contact from the Garda in relation to any complaint that might have been made this month against its officials.

Separately, Nama confirmed yesterday it had made a second complaint to the Garda about a former employee.

“Nama can confirm we have reported two individuals to the gardaí in relation to possible use of unauthorised information,” a spokesman said.

“One is already in the public domain [Enda Farrell] and one was a mid-ranking employee.”

Nama declined to comment further but it is understood the agency made the complaint some months ago after a staff member due to leave was allegedly caught trying to remove sensitive information.

On a bizarre day of allegations about Nama, Labour Party Senator Lorraine Higgins claimed the State could be liable for millions in claims due to ex-Nama employees passing information to third parties.

Ms Higgins told the Seanad there was a legal action in the High Court for an injunction by an individual whose information was passed on to a third party by a former employee of Nama.

She claimed to have “damning information” about a former Nama employee, whom she named under privilege in the Upper House as Paul Hennigan, a former senior asset-recovery manager at the agency. She said he was named in the court application and that he tried to “silence” her.

Naming people
When the Galway-based Senator named Mr Hennigan, Cathaoirleach Paddy Burke intervened and called on her to refrain from naming people on the record of the House so they could be identified. "I apologise, Cathaoirleach," said Ms Higgins before going on to refer to the High Court application. She said Mr Hennigan had left Nama and immediately joined a UK property firm.

The Labour Senator said when she brought the issue up in the Seanad previously and called on the Minister for Finance to investigate, her concerns were dismissed. “It was intimated by the Minister to me that I was abusing my parliamentary privilege. I was essentially fobbed off,” she said. It is understood Mr Hennigan is not the subject of any complaint by Nama to the Garda.

Commenting on the Senator's claims, a spokesman for Nama said: "If the Senator has any information that any employee of Nama has acted improperly, she is legally required to report it to the gardaí." After meeting in private session yesterday, the Public Accounts Committee decided to write to Nama to ask them in to discuss allegations.