Yates brands AIB ‘inhuman’ for pursuing his wife over a €3.4m debt

Former government minister Ivan Yates has launched a scathing attack on AIB over the bank’s efforts to also pursue his wife, Deirdre, for a €3.4m debt.

The businessman and broadcaster, who returns as co-presenter of Newstalk’s Breakfast tomorrow, has also branded AIB as “arrogant, inhuman bastards” in a forthcoming book on his financial problems.

Mr Yates — who was discharged as a bankrupt in Britain last week — yesterday revealed his shock at learning in November that he and his wife were the only two people who AIB had sought to declare bankrupt in the previous two years, despite the thousands of bank customers who have defaulted on their debts.

Mr Yates — in an in-depth interview on The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk — criticised the bank’s refusal to give any serious consideration to his offer to settle its demand for payment last year.

He claimed that Deirdre — a primary school teacher — now faced “enormous difficulties”, as AIB was pursuing her for a similar debt.

The politician turned radio presenter was forced to declare himself bankrupt following the 2011 collapse of his family betting business, Celtic Bookmakers.

Mr Yates expressed anger that AIB had begun to pressurise and threaten his wife again, having withdrawn bankruptcy proceedings against her over a year ago when it was pursuing a judgment against the couple.

“They have never once put forward any concrete proposal to settle the debt,” said the former Fine Gael TD, who was once tipped as a future taoiseach.

Last night, Mr Yates told the Irish Examiner that his wife’s only asset was a half-share in the bungalow where his 81-year-old mother, Mary, lives near Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.

However, he said Deirdre had no plans to file her own petition for bankruptcy in Britain, as he had done.

Mr Yates also revealed that there were two occasions when he felt so low that he wished he was dead during a 16-month period living alone in Wales to avail of Britain’s more lenient bankruptcy laws.

In a brief statement, AIB said it did not typically comment on individual customer cases. However, it added: “The bank adopted a position of negotiating in good faith to secure a resolution of Mr Yates’ situation.”

In response, Mr Yates described AIB’s claim that they attempted to reach a settlement deal as “utter nonsense”.