High Court declares Dunne bankrupt

Developer Sean Dunne has been declared bankrupt by the High Court in Dublin.

There was no appearance in court by or on behalf of the businessman who is now resident in the United States.

Ulster Bank brought this bankruptcy petition after securing a €164m judgment against the property developer.

Mr Dunne managed to get the proceedings put on hold for months by applying for bankruptcy in the US.

But a recent ruling there meant the Irish case could go ahead in tandem with the US case.

Today, the bank's barrister Lyndon MacCann said the businessman had done everything to thwart the Irish proceedings which he described as "of critical urgency".

There was no appearance in court by or on behalf of Sean Dunne today, but the judge was satisfied he was aware of the petition. She has adjudicated him a bankrupt.

She noted that Sean Dunne can still challenge that finding.