Furious anonymity bid revealed in Ansbacher saga

DETAILS of a furious legal battle by Ansbacher depositors to prevent their names being published have been uncovered for the first time.

Solicitors representing two clients of the offshore banking scheme wrote to Tánaiste Mary Harney demanding they have access to files related to the investigation.

In a flurry of legal correspondence in late December 2001 between solicitors firm McCann Fitzgerald and Ms Harney's office last December, the lawyers set a deadline of seven days to obtain the information. The solicitors said the Ansbacher report may contain adverse findings against their clients and wanted all relevant information from the Tánaiste to help them in challenging the plans to finalise the inspector's report into the banking scheme.