TDs angry at Nama action against widow whose husband took his own life

Moves by Nama to press legal action against a widow whose husband took his own life have been roundly condemned by TDs.

John McGuinness, chairman of the Dáil’s powerful Public Accounts Committee (PAC), expressed his concern that the State agency served legal papers “late at night” on Annette De Vere Hunt, despite indications that it would seek mediation in the dispute with her.

Mr McGuinness said the move was “unacceptable” and looked like a case in which the State was “at war with a citizen”.

Ms De Vere Hunt told the committee in a private session last December of the events leading up to the death of her husband, Philip, 64, who took his own life in 2012 after Nama subsidiary Nalm, took a case against him and a business partner regarding a €30m loan from AIB for a shopping centre in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Mr McGuinness told a meeting of the PAC he was very disappointed by Nama’s actions after Ms De Vere Hunt had appeared before the committee to convey what it felt like to be pursued by an institution.

The PAC chairman said that “nothing but trauma and sadness” had been heaped on Ms De Vere Hunt during the long saga.

“Within weeks of that meeting with her, papers were served on her late at night,” said Mr McGuinness, a Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny.

“I think it is unacceptable that a State body would behave in this way.”

Fellow PAC member and Fine Gael TD Gabrielle McFadden expressed her “disgust” at the turn of events.

“That is not good enough,” she said, referring to the way Nama had behaved towards Ms De Vere Hunt.

The coroner who dealt with the death of Mr De Vere Hunt said that someone should “shout stop” to financial institutions whom he said “can push a person over the edge” in the way they pursue debts.

The inquest heard that Mr De Vere Hunt and his legal team had held several meetings with Nama regarding the debt but, according to coroner Paul Morris, Mr De Vere Hunt’s dealings with the agency “brought him to the end of his tether”.

Before he ended his life, the businessman left a “very, very sad note” which described his “sense of desperation” on the matter, Mr Morris said.

He feared that the farm owned by the De Vere Hunts could be taken away from them.

Mr Morris said, “It’s time that someone shouted stop” regarding the banks’ approach to debtors.

The coroner said that banks in general “treat you as a hero when things go well, and when things go wrong they have no mercy”.

“They speak of a moral hazard when it comes to giving people concessions, but they live in a moral vacuum themselves,” said Mr Morris.

“They make an idol of money and sacrifice the dignity of the human being.”