Jury in Seán FitzPatrick trial asked to return on Thursday

Legal argument is continuing at the Circuit Criminal Court in the trial of former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Seán FitzPatrick.

The jury, which has not yet heard any evidence in the three weeks since its members were empanelled, was brought back briefly on Tuesday morning.

Mr FitzPatrick (66) is on trial for allegedly failing to disclose the true value of loans given to him or people connected to him by Irish Nationwide Building Society from 2002 to 2007 while he was an officer of Anglo Irish Bank.

The accused, of Whitshed Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow is charged with 27 counts under the Companies Act 1990.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring told the six men and six women the court was not yet in a position to formally commence matters as it was still dealing with legal issues.

She noted the matters had taken longer than the two days originally predicted, which hadn’t been foreseen, but she said it could happen in any legal hearing.

Judge Ring said she had felt it would be unfair for the jury to receive another phone call putting them off, she said.

The judge said the delay raised questions about the trial going on beyond the end of the month and into June, when people were likely to have both family and leisure commitments.

“If you have difficulties, you have difficulties,” she said.

She told the jury members to “look at your own position, look at your family position, look at your work position”.

The judge said she might be better able to give them an indication on Thursday of when matters would proceed and that they would then have a better sense of what that meant in relation to their own commitment.

She asked that they return on Thursday, which she acknowledged was “perhaps a nuisance and an impingement on your time”, but she said they had deserved an explanation face to face.

If any of the jury members had a difficulty in relation to work and required correspondence to issue from the Courts Service, they could indicate that, the judge said.

“Like so much in life there are things you can’t predict.”

The judge said the jury had given a commitment she was sure they were willing and anxious to proceed.

“And I am willing and anxious that you do.”

She had been assured, she said, that she might have some “more concrete information” for them on Thursday.

The jury was empanelled three weeks ago on April 14th. The trial has been in legal argument since then.