Businessman receives 7-year director’s ban

A businessman has been disqualified from being a director of a company for the next seven years over his failure to deliver a statement of financial affairs following the liquidation of his company.

William Gough, a director of Tanikos Ltd, which was wound up by the High Court last January, had failed to comply with court orders to provide a statement of affairs to liquidator Myles Kirby, Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan said.

The judge refused an application from John Kennedy BL, for Mr Kirby, to have Mr Gough, who is believed to be abroad but has an address in Glynstown, Glanmire, Cork, committed to prison for contempt of the court orders.

Mr Kennedy said Mr Gough had “thumbed his nose” at the court, the liquidator, and the Revenue Commissioners — the principal creditor in the liquidation.

Ms Justice Finlay Geoghegan did not believe committing him to prison would assist the liquidator who could proceed without the statement being provided.

In relation to a second director of Tanikos, Stephen Crockett, the judge said there had been contact between him and the liquidator on two or three occasions.

She was prepared to grant an adjournment of a similar application against him, after he had sent an email to the liquidator yesterday looking for more time to prepare a statement of affairs.