Business News

Sean Fitzpatrick acquitted on all charges

By Business & Finance
23 May 2017
Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick pictured circa 2002

Former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick has been acquitted for allegedly misleading auditors about loans between 2002 and 2007.

Judge John Aylmer said today – day 126 of the trial – that he intends to direct the jury tomorrow to acquit FitzPatrick of all counts.

His ruling came after submissions from the defence arguing that the case should not go before the jury because of flaws in the investigation and prosecution case.

Judge Aylmer said that the investigation fell short of an unbiased, impartial, balanced investigation that an accused is entitled to.

He pointed to errors in which the ODCE set about taking statements from witnesses, cross-contamination of statements between witnesses and to the extraordinary circumstances in which the ODCE lead investigator Kevin O’Connell had admitted destroyed evidence.


Suggested reading:

Read an interview featuring Sean Fitzpatrick from the Business & Finance archive here.