Jury in trial of ex-Anglo chairman Sean FitzPatrick to return on Wednesday

The jury in the trial of former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Seán FitzPatrick has been asked to return next Wednesday as legal argument continues.

The jury, which has not heard any evidence in the three weeks since it was sworn in, was brought back briefly on Tuesday morning and asked by Judge Mary Ellen Ring to return again today.

The judge told the jury shortly after 11am that the court was still in a position where the jury isn’t required.

She said it was in a position where there were “unforeseen matters”.

“There’s been an illness which causes a further difficulty. That has intervened in the meantime and is causing some serious timetable problems as a result.”

The jury foreman handed in a piece of paper indicating dates which may cause problems for some of the jury members in terms of their availability.

Judge Ring said: “At the moment, what I am going to ask you to do, I have noted the dates and I will inform counsel of those issues. But I’m going to ask you at the moment to come back next Wednesday 13th May. I say that with the proviso that you may be getting that all-too familiar telephone call in the meantime.”

“It’s a system of long standing and in 2015 it’s time that it changed but at the moment we are where we are.”

Mr FitzPatrick (66) is on trial for allegedly failing to disclose the true value of loans given to him or people connected to him by Irish Nationwide Building Society from 2002 to 2007 while he was an officer of Anglo Irish Bank.

The accused, of Whitshed Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow is charged with 27 counts under the Companies Act 1990.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The jury of six men and six women was empanelled three weeks ago on April 14th and the jury was told the trial could last until May 28th. The trial has been in legal argument since then.