AN AMERICAN TV and film producer has won a High Court disclosure order for documents he wants to fight an attempt by the Irish authorities to assist a probe in Italy into tax fraud allegations against him.
Frank Agrama has been under investigation, alongside Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, by the Italian authorities over allegations that they and others conspired to obtain inflated prices to avoid tax law in the sale of media rights by a group of companies called Wiltshire, which included Mr Berlusconi’s company Mediaset.
Mr Agrama, who lives in Los Angeles, denied the charges.
The charges were later dropped when a new statute of limitations law was passed in Italy whereby time for bringing prosecutions was limited.
However, new charges were then brought against Mr Agrama over alleged fraudulent tax returns filed by Mediaset in relation to later years (2001-2003), which were not covered by the new time limit law.
The Irish authorities had been asked by the Italians for what is called “mutual assistance” between states in supplying information for the purpose of prosecuting the original charges in Italy.
This request, from a prosecutor in Milan, related to certain categories of documents from National Irish Bank.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Michael Peart said that Mr Agrama was entitled to discovery of documents relating to contact with or from the Italian prosecutor in relation to letters of request for assistance sent to the Minister for Justice in 2006 and 2009.