Doctor and car missing in lease default

A medical doctor who bought a top-of-the-range Mercedes Benz car for €65,000 under a lease agreement subsequently defaulted on payments for the car, the High Court heard yesterday.

The vehicle, last seen at Dublin Airport last March, has not been recovered.

Mr Emad Omar Ali Soliman Eltaweel, with an address in Celbridge but now believed to be living in his home country of Egypt, had also failed since March last to make payments under a credit agreement of October 2003 on foot of which €20,000 was advanced to him, it was claimed.

The Garda had informed AIB Leasing Limited and AIB Finance in April or May last of their belief that Mr Eltaweel and his family had left Ireland for Egypt. About July 2004, he had attended at the Irish Embassy in Cairo and gave his address at Priory Court, Celbridge, Co Kildare.

The Educational Building Society (EBS) had told an accounts controller with AIB Finance that Priory Court was purchased by Mr Eltaweel in 1997 for £200,000 and that the EBS, which held charges over that property, intended to sell the house to redeem those charges.

It was anticipated that, after redemption of all the charges registered on the property, some €40,000 was likely to remain.

On the application of AIB Leasing and AIB Finance, Mr Justice Kelly granted an order restraining Mr Eltaweel from disposing of, mortgaging or transferring his interest in the Priory Court property after the debt to the EBS had been discharged.

Earlier, in an affidavit, Mr Patrick Mortimer, an accounts controller employed by AIB Leasing and AIB Finance, said AIB Leasing had entered into a leasing agreement dated February 23rd, 2004 with Mr Eltaweel, using the name Emad Omar Ali Soliman, with an address at Priory Court.

The agreement related to a Mercedes E200, registration number 04 KE 711, which was purchased from Brady's (Dublin) Limited for €65,175. In October 2003, AIB Finance had entered into a credit agreement with the defendant, under which a sum of €20,000 was advanced to him.

Mr Mortimer said Mr Eltaweel had failed since March 2004 to make payments under the leasing agreement relating to the Mercedes. He had also failed to make any payments since March last relating to the credit agreement.

A full search of the defendant's records had disclosed that he had entered into a number of leasing and finance agreements with AIB Leasing, using the name Emad Omar Ali Eltaweel and the address at Priory Court.

It was his belief that Dr Eltaweel and Dr Emad Soliman were one and the same person whose full name was Emad Omar Ali Soliman Eltaweel, Mr Mortimer said. The leasing and credit agreements had been terminated.

Mr Mortimer said the Mercedes car was last seen in March 2004 at Dublin Airport but, despite extensive enquiries, it could not be located in Ireland and, in April, had been reported stolen by the plaintiff companies.

In July 2004, Mr Eltaweel told the Irish Embassy in Cairo his address was Priory Court, Celbridge. In August last, the Garda said they had been told by Interpol that Mr Eltaweel's current address is in Cairo.