Businessman bids to quash fraud rumours

A businessman who claims to have been held hostage at an unknown location for eight months before his sudden reappearance in January has sought to quash rumours he had engaged in fraud.

Property developer Kevin McGeever, 68, has indicated he is looking forward to dispelling allegations about the circumstances of his past business dealings and about his abduction.

The background to the alleged kidnapping of Mr McGeever, who disappeared from his €3m luxury mansion in Craughwell, Co Galway last May, remains shrouded in mystery.

In his first public comments since his reappearance at the end of January, when he was found in a dishevelled state on a lonely border road near Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, Mr McGeever promised to explain the details of his kidnapping in the near future.

In an interview at the weekend, Mr McGeever said he was too weak to provide further information at present as he was still recovering from major weight loss due to his ordeal in captivity.

“I’m very enthusiastic about putting the record straight,” said Mr McGeever, who was interviewed by gardaí about his alleged kidnapping last week.

He described the content of many media reports on the circumstances of his disappearance as “bullshit”.

It is understood gardaí have searched Mr McGeever’s home in Craughwell, as well as an apartment he owns in Clontarf, Dublin, as part of their investigation.

Several investors have complained to gardaí that they have received no return for deposits paid on properties sold by Mr McGeever.

The businessman, who ran a successful property development firm in Dubai for many years before falling into financial difficulty, is also believed to be under investigation by authorities in the United Arab Emirates for alleged fraud and may face extradition proceedings.

Mr McGeever, originally from Swinford, Co Mayo, sold residential and commercial property through his Mullingar-based firm KMM International Properties.

The businessman has not returned to his home in Craughwell and it’s believed he is staying with a friend based in the Midlands.