Walsh Maguire builders lose €4.3m case

A JUDGMENT of €4.3 million has been issued against Vincent Maguire and Liam Moran, the owners of building company Walsh Maguire which went into liquidation last year. The judgment arises from a dispute over non-completion of a contract relating to the sale of a commercial property in Blackhorse House Industrial Estate, Dublin 7.

In March 2007 developer Vincent Maguire and north Dublin solicitor Liam Moran entered into a contract to purchase a section of the Blackhorse Industrial Estate which was owned by the Windham Trust. The beneficiary of the trust, Richard Windham, subsequently pursued Mr Maguire and Mr Moran in the High Court for non-completion of the contract. The court ruled in favour of Mr Windham and €4.3 million was awarded to Sarah Windham, executor of the estate of Mr Windham who is now deceased.

The case is one of a series of legal actions taken recently against Mr Maguire and Mr Moran, whose company Walsh Maguire entered liquidation last year with debts of approximately €20 million.

In July 2009, 13 partners at KPMG accountants together with Leap Limited, a UK registered company with an address at KPMG’s Belfast office, were awarded summary judgment of some €10 million against the two men relating to investments made by the plaintiffs in Stateford Limited, another construction company owned by Mr Maguire and Mr Moran which was also liquidated last year. KPMG itself was not involved in the case.

In 2009, seven cases against Mr Maguire and Mr Moran were taken, including actions brought by Bank of Ireland and EBS.

In addition Mr Moran was the subject of at least four separate legal actions in the High Court last year. Among the plaintiffs pursuing Mr Moran were Danske Bank and Dublin City Council.

Walsh Maguire was one of Dublin’s best-known construction firms before its liquidation.

Links between Walsh Maguire and former taoiseach Bertie Ahern surfaced during the Mahon Tribunal. In 2008 the tribunal was told a £30,000 withdrawal from a bank account called the CODR account, was an on account payment towards work on Mr Ahern’s constituency centre, St Luke’s in Drumcondra. The tribunal was told the CODR account held money donated to Mr Ahern for political use.

Mr Moran was also a business partner of Tim Collins, a close associate of Mr Ahern and a trustee of St Luke’s. His connection with Mr Collins was highlighted during the Flood Tribunal, which investigated the sale of the Battle of the Boyne site – in which Mr Collins had an interest – to the State.