A retired farmer complained to National Irish Bank in 1998 that Beverley Cooper-Flynn had dissuaded him from availing of the 1993 tax amnesty and this complaint was recorded in a written memorandum, the High Court heard yesterday.
Mr Paul O'Higgins SC, for the farmer, Mr James Howard, said the complaint was made on April 14th, 1998, and he read a memorandum dated that day, from the then manager of NIB's Balbriggan branch, Mr Padraig Faughnan, relating to the complaint. In the memorandum, Mr Faughnan said Mr James Howard Snr had called to the branch "this morning" because he had received a letter from the Revenue Commissioners.
The memorandum said Mr Howard was threatening "to go public" and had said he had intended to avail of the tax amnesty.
However, Beverley Cooper-Flynn had dissuaded him and had visited him three times in five weeks and pressurised him to invest. Counsel pointed out his client did not agree with the way the memorandum was presented after reading the document to Ms Cooper-Flynn .
She said she had no idea why Mr Howard had made a complaint about her when she had had no dealings with him.
She was told about the memorandum sometime in June, 1998, and was told Mr Faughnan had said Beverley Cooper-Flynn had had nothing to do with James Howard and he, Mr Faughnan, did not know why she was mentioned.
Mr O'Higgins said Mr Howard would say Ms Cooper-Flynn had met him sometime in April or May, 1993, and he had subsequently dealt with a Ms Patricia Roche in relation to a CAG insurance policy and other subsequent dealings.
Mr O'Higgins said Mr Howard, after making his complaint, had received a letter from NIB on May 7th, 1998, which said the CMI scheme was not operated as a tax evasion scheme and NIB had given no more information to the Revenue concerning Mr Howard than they were obliged to give.
Counsel said Mr Howard would say when he learned of the amnesty, he wanted to take his money out and to deal with it under the amnesty but Ms Cooper-Flynn had told him he could not do that and why give the Government 15 per cent?
Ms Cooper-Flynn said those questions should be addressed to the person who sold the policy to Mr Howard.
The hearing continues today.