Man fails in bid to prosecute bankers

Dublin hotelier Patrick Halpin’s bid to privately prosecute two employees of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation for alleged deception was motivated by a desire to put them in the dock of a criminal court, the Supreme Court has decided.

“Mr Halpin was not motivated by a genuine desire to invoke the now very limited role of a private individual in the prosecution of criminal offences,” Mr Justice Frank Clarke stated in a reserved judgment.

“He was motivated by a desire to secure, by whatever means possible, the attendance of Ms (Mary) Kelly and Mr (Declan) Buckley as accused persons before a criminal court.”