Court may pursue minister on his own over debt

Health Minister James Reilly could be pursued individually to pay the full €1.9m owed by him and four business partners who invested in a nursing home.

Last February the group consented to a court judgment for €1.9m against them “jointly or severally”, meaning a claimant may pursue an obligation against any one party as if they were jointly liable for the debt.

The settlement was agreed following a case by eight others who had invested in the nursing home as part of an agreement that they would sell their share 10 years after it opened.

Dr Reilly and the four other defendants agreed to the court order being paid back by Apr 30, but this has not happened. A number of other judgment conditions remain confidential.

Fianna Fáil’s finance spokesman, Michael McGrath, said Mr Reilly, who has extensive property interests, “is a man of considerable means”, and that the revelations of his debt default was “a very embarrassing affair for the Government”.

On becoming minister, Dr Reilly handed over power of attorney for the business to his solicitor. But Mr McGrath told RTÉ Six One News “the bottom line is that he is the person who owes the money”, and warned of the consequences if it is not paid.

Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams said it was unprecedented for a Government minister to appear in the debt-monitoring magazine Stubbs Gazette.

“This minister has closed down 286 public nursing home beds and he has an investment in a private nursing home. The minister is taking decisions which benefit private health care. If he has a personal investment in private health care provision is he a suitable person to be health minister?”