Priory Hall developer says his rights were breached

Priory Hall developer Thomas McFeely says his fundamental rights were breached when computers and documents were seized from the offices of a company he was formerly a director of, the Court of Appeal has heard.

His counsel, Vincent P Martin, argued his rights to privacy and private property were among those breached when a bankruptcy inspector searched the Holles St, Dublin, offices of Coalport Building Co, which Mr McFeely was a director of until he resigned some years prior to his bankruptcy.

That raid by officers acting for the official assignee in bankruptcy, Chris Lehane, was the source for illegally obtained documents later used to back up a successful application to extend Mr McFeely’s bankruptcy for a further five years, counsel said. Had that not happened, Mr McFeely would have exited bankruptcy in July of 2015 but now faces being a bankrupt until 2020.