Cayman court reserves judgment as the McCracken tribunal team heads home

THE hearing in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands to decide if key figures are to give evidence to the McCracken payments-to-politicians tribunal concluded last night but the judge reserved his decision.

Mr Justice McCracken travelled to the island for the hearing, as did the senior members of the tribunal legal team, Mr Denis McCullough SC, Mr Michael Collins SC and solicitor Mr John Lawless.

It is understood the team travelled to the islands last Sunday week and left for home early this morning.

The hearing will decide on an application that a Cayman bank, Ansbacher Ltd, and a number of people should give evidence and release documents to the tribunal.

The court is to decide if the bank and the individuals should attend before the honorary justice Mr Brian McCracken at a solicitor's office on the island on a date to be set by the court.

A spokesman for Ansbacher Ltd has said the bank will not be giving evidence to the tribunal unless ordered to do so by the court.

The economy of the Cayman Islands is largely based on its financial services sector, one of the biggest in the world due to its strong secrecy laws.

The individuals whose evidence is being sought by the tribunal are: Mr John Furze; Mr John Collins; Mr Hugh Harte; Mr Michael Day; Mr Kevin Glidden; Ms Maxine Everson; and Mr Brian Bothwell. KPMG Cayman Islands, is also listed.

Mr John Furze and Mr John Collins have been mentioned before the Dublin Castle tribunal. The name John Furze was on some of the bank drafts which Mr Ben Dunne has told the tribunal were meant for Mr Charles Haughey.

Mr Furze and Mr Collins were directors of Ansbacher Ltd. This bank had accounts in two Dublin banks where money paid by Mr Dunne at one stage ended up.

The tribunal has heard that four payments totalling £1.1 million were transferred into an account held at Guinness & Mahon (Ireland). The account was in the name of Ansbacher.

Three banks drafts totalling £210,000, allegedly handed by Mr Dunne to Mr Haughey, ended up in an Ansbacher account held at the Irish Intercontinental Bank.

The tribunal hearing at Dublin Castle was not told what had subsequently happened to this money.

Mr Just ice McCracken, in his interim report, said he hoped evidence could be taken in the Cayman Islands in the first week of next month.

The application from the tribunal that an order be made was first heard by the Chief Justice of the Cayman Islands, Mr George Harre, in his chambers last week. He then appointed another judge, Mr Justice Patterson, to rule on the case. This hearing, which has lasted a number of days, concluded last night. The judge gave no indication of when he would deliver his ruling, but it could be a number of weeks.

Strict laws govern banking confidentiality on the island. The unauthorised disclosure of information learned in the course of business transactions and covered by the secrecy laws can result in sentences of up to two years.