AT LEAST one investor is now understood to have made a formal complaint to the Garda about the disappearance of funds held by the missing investment broker, Mr Tony Taylor.

With Department of Enterprise and Employment files also forwarded to the Garda authorities, a full investigation of the Taylor affair should now be possible by the Garda Fraud Squad.

The receipt of a formal complaint from an investor hurt by the controversy should now allow a full Garda investigation of the affair. Many of the investors are understood to have held back from making such a complaint, as they wished to remain anonymous.

The Garda are already in receipt of detailed files on the affair forwarded from the Department of Enterprise and Employment through the Department of Justice. These files have also been sent to the Revenue Commissioners.

A Garda spokesman would make no comment yesterday, beyond saying that a complaint received would always be investigated.

Department of Enterprise and Employment staff were yesterday going through what sources described as a "virtual truckload" of paper taken from Mr Taylor's in Dublin's Anglesea Road in a raid on Thursday. An initial perusal of the documents has indicated a further £1 million to £1.5 million in funds unaccounted for. This is on top of the £1.5 million already identified.

Sources said that it would be some time before all the documents seized from Mr Taylor's home could be fully assessed. However it is clear that some client files were kept solely in Mr Taylor's home.

This is further evidence that the former managing director and chairman of the investment group had a group of private clients which were not put through the Taylor Group business records.