A High Court judge has ordered that former Co Wexford GAA hurling star Paul Codd be arrested and brought before the High Court to explain his failure to co-operate with the bankruptcy regime.
Mr Codd, an All-Ireland medal winner in 1996, failed to appear in court yesterday and is alleged to be in contempt of court orders directing him to engage with the official in charge of his bankruptcy.
He was adjudicated bankrupt by the High Court last March over failure to satisfy a judgment for €530,000 secured against him in 2011.
Mr Codd, the court heard, has failed to deal with the official assignee in bankruptcy, Chris Lehane, the court-appointed official who assists bankrupts in their obligations to creditors, as required under bankruptcy laws.
Mr Justice Daniel Herbert ordered Mr Codd be arrested and brought before the High Court at the earliest possible opportunity to see if he would abide by the orders of the court.
Several attempts were made to ensure Mr Codd would engage with the bankruptcy process but, in his view, he was “in contempt of court,” Mr Lehane said.
Mr Lehane secured an order in August directing that Mr Codd would be arrested if he failed to appear at court yesterday. When a James McCarthy attempted to make representations yesterday on Mr Codd’s behalf, the judge said, as Mr McCarthy was neither a solicitor nor barrister, he was not entitled to be heard.
The application to have Mr Codd declared bankrupt arose from a sale by David Deasy, a dairy farmer, Timoleague, Co Cork, of 46 acres at Askinfarney, Clonroche, Co Wexford, to Mr Codd for about €800,000.
While a deposit of €40,000 was paid, Mr Codd had not completed the sale and Mr Deasy obtained judgment for €530,326 against him in 2011.
When that was not satisfied, Mr Deasy brought the bankruptcy proceedings. Mr Codd’s debts, combined with those of his now-dissolved company Paul Codd Ltd, are estimated to be about €4.9 million.