Restaurant directors in contempt of court for not filing accounts, judge told

The official liquidator to the former operator of the Unicorn restaurant has told the High Court the firm’s directors are in contempt of court for failing to file outstanding accounts with the Companies Registration Office.

Yesterday, John Kennedy, counsel for Myles Kirby, the liquidator of Vino Classico Ltd which ran the Dublin restaurant, said directors Pia Bang Stokes and Georgio Casari had not complied with an order to file the firm’s annual returns for the years 2010 to 2012.

The order was made in September 2013. In May, the court gave the directors an additional four months to comply. Mr Kennedy yesterday told Mr Justice Paul Gilligan the directors still have not filed the accounts.

He said the reason may well be down to the fact the directors have fallen out. As far as Mr Kirby is concerned, their ongoing failure to comply is not acceptable. Counsel said Mr Kirby “is of the view the directors are in contempt of court”.

Mr Casari, the Priory Rathfarnham, Dublin, was not present in court, but a solicitor on his behalf said that was doing everything he possibly could to file the accounts and comply with the court orders. There had been no active engagement between the directors, the court was told.

Ms Bang Stokes, The Mill House, Kilternan, Co Dublin, representing herself, said she had not been contacted by Mr Casari. She told the court she had received some accounting details prepared by him.

She was not happy with the information she received as, she said, it had not been audited. She said there had been difficulties in obtaining information from the company’s accountant.

Mr Justice Gilligan said he was putting the matter back for a few weeks in order to give the directors more time to file the accounts. He said it was in the directors “own interest to co-operate” with each other. Both parties he said “have an obligation to comply with the orders.”

The judge adjourned the matter to later this month.