Cayman Island court to decide on release of Ansbacher names

A Cayman Islands court will decide soon if the names of Ansbacher account holders can be released to High Court inspectors here.

The identity of these people has been in the main a secret until now but there are believed to be around 120 account holders including businessmen and politicians and there is believed to be hundreds of millions of pounds held offshore.

Those who are known to have accounts include Fianna Fail TD Dennis Foley, Former Taoiseach Charles Haughey and elderly property developer John Byrne.

Now, however a court in the Cayman Islands is about to decide if the full list can be released to High Court inspectors charged with examining the controversial accounts.

Because of secrecy laws on the island, Ansbacher Cayman Bank applied to the courts last month for permission to give out the details.

If the Grand Court agrees, the names of the Ansbacher tax evaders will finally be made public.