Businessman Flees Irish Jail Sentence

A businessman has fled the country after being ordered to be sent to prison for contempt of court.

Donal Rigney, a father of four, from Gortacur, Mount Bolus, Tullamore, Co Offaly was given a committal order last Monday by the High Court, however it is now believed he has left Ireland.

The High Court heard gardai believe Mr Rigney left Ireland despite a High Court order he be jailed over his failure to hand over machinery used on construction projects in the Middle East.

Yesterday High Court judge Ms Justice Maureen Clark was told gardai were unable to execute a warrant committing Mr Rigney to Mountjoy Prison for failing to comply with orders to hand over possession of almost €2m worth of machinery, including dumper trucks, cranes and excavators that are located in Dubai.

The order was made last Monday by Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, who ruled that Mr Rigney be sent to and remain in prison until he purged his contempt and complied with the order. The judge rejected Mr Rigney's claims that the machinery was no longer in his control.

A legal representative of Mr Rigney's said that after order had been made they had been in contact with their client and that he had waited to be brought to Mountjoy by the gardai.

The complainant, the National Irish Asset Finance (NAIF), entered into 25 agreements with Mr Rigney for the lease and hire-purchase of construction machinery and now claim they are owed an estimated €500,000 by Mr Rigney.

The court heard that six items of machinery had been scrapped, 14 were in Tullamore, up to 10 were in Dubai and two had been sold. Mr Lyons said that on two previous occasions an agent of NIAF had been unable to collect any of its machinery in Tullamore.

(DW/BMcC)