Fraud accused helped bank tax probe

Three former Anglo Irish Bank officials accused of hiding bogus off-shore accounts in an alleged tax evasion scheme were involved in helping Revenue investigate tax compliance in the bank in 2003.

Day 13 of the officials’ trial heard one of them, former chief operations officer Tiarnan O’Mahoney, asked that the team be set up to help Revenue audit the bank. The audit was examining the presence of bogus non-resident accounts held by Anglo on were liable for Deposit Interest Retention Tax.

The team was to report to another of the accused, Bernard Daly, then the bank’s chief of compliance. Also on the team was a third accused, Aoife Maguire.

The prosecution allege the accused helped hide off-shore accounts connected to former Anglo chairman Sean FitzPatrick from Revenue.

Mr Daly, aged 65, of Collins Avenue West, Whitehall, Dublin; Mr O’Mahoney, aged 54, of Glen Pines, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow; and Ms Maguire, aged 60, of Rothe Abbey, South Circular Rd, Kilmainham, Dublin, have pleaded not guilty to seven alleged offences committed in 2003 and 2004.

Former Anglo fraud prevention officer Patrick Peake said

he was on this team to gather relevant documents for Revenue along with several others, including Ms Maguire. He said most of the team shared one office while Ms Maguire had a separate office nearby.