An entrepreneur awaiting trial accused of almost 90 revenue, forgery and reckless filing of company information offences, has claimed in court that dozens of extra charges were brought with “malicious intent”.
Businessman Illann Power, 32, a company director from Co Carlow, was arrested in 2022 following an investigation by the Corporate Enforcement Authority.
He originally faced three charges of providing false information contrary to Section 876 of the Companies Act 2014 and knowingly or recklessly furnishing information to an electronic filing agent from 2014 to 2017, which he denies.
The prosecution, which started in 2022, has been before Dublin District Court, which had accepted jurisdiction to hear the contested case.
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Mr Power had said he wished to clear his good name, and his non-jury District Court hearing was to go ahead on October 29th.
However, the court then heard that “a connected matter led to a reappraisal”, and the DPP issued a new direction for trial on indictment, elevating the trial venue to the Circuit Court, which can impose lengthier sentences.
Mr Power was also faces 84 new criminal charges. Among them is a forgery charge. He is alleged to have electronically amended a High Court order on dates between December 1st and December 14th, 2022, with the intention that it be used to “induce another person to accept it as genuine” to the prejudice of that person or any other person.
He is also accused of electronically altering a High Court order in a way that had a tendency to “pervert the course of public justice” by adding information that was not granted by the court.
The other 82 charges relate to alleged breaches of tax law and VAT.
Gardaí served Mr Power with two books of evidence at Dublin District Court on Thursday, and Judge William Aylmer granted return for trial orders.
He told the businessman, representing himself, that he was being returned for trial to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where his case will be listed on February 6th.
Mr Power, who remains on bail, told Judge Aylmer the extra charges had been brought with “malicious intent”; he referred to legal proceedings in the United States, adding, “and I would like that recorded”.
Judge Aylmer gave Mr Power the standard warning that he must notify the prosecution if he intends to rely on an alibi in his trial. The court also ordered gardaí to hand over copies of interview videos to the defendant.
Mr Power is a founder of spirits company Incubrands, which Bacardi acquired. He later co-created Nohovation, a start-up venture fund, and investment firm Illann Power Companies.
Initially, he had been granted bail with strict conditions, including signing on daily at a Garda station and surrendering his travel documents.
However, those conditions were later relaxed to allow Mr Power to work in the United States. He was allowed to keep his passport and green card and to move to the US after the court heard he had every intention of returning to Ireland to face the proceedings.
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