O’Leary pursues €25k debt

MULTI-MILLIONAIRE Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has taken a horse racing enthusiast to court over a debt of €24,772.

Mr O’Leary brought the action to recoup money owed to his Gigginstown House Stud, which is based outside Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

In the current issue of the Stubbs Gazette, Mr O’Leary is revealed as bringing a case at the civil courts against a man for a debt of €24,772.09.

The man who owes Mr O’Leary the money is based in Co Galway and is understood to be a horse-owner who has family heavily involved in the Irish racing world.

Mr O’Leary’s personal wealth runs to an estimated €636 million.

As plaintiff Mr O’Leary won his case, allowing him to take further legal steps to recoup the money like sending in the bailiffs or having a claim over the man’s assets like his house. The Ryanair boss also won his legal costs of €727.74.

When contacted by the Irish Examiner, Mr O’Leary declined to comment, while the debtor failed to return the newspaper’s phonecalls.

“We don’t comment about Michael’s personal business,” said a spokeswoman for Mr O’Leary, who is one of Ireland’s richest men.

But Mr O’Leary has taken steps to ensure details of the man’s debt are as widely-known as possible.

The airline boss paid a €50 fee and an estimated €300 to a solicitor to register the circuit court’s judgement at the Four Courts on May 8.

Details of the debt and the man’s identity can be seen on a publicly available register of debtors.

“Essentially this is naming and shaming so people can see this man has not paid what he owes,” said Mike Johnstone, of Stubbs Gazette publishers BusinessPro.

“He (Mr O’Leary) wants the guy’s name up in lights.”