John Furze was a well-known figure in the Cayman Islands. Although living on Grand Cayman, where the population is a mere 30,000, a low profile would be next to impossible. His role as managing director of Ansbacher also gave him a high profile. Active socially, he was awarded an MBE in 1988 for community services on the island. Although he was just 55 when he died, Mr Furze looked older than his years.
Tanned and weather beaten, he had a lived-in face. He was of average height and build.
Last December, when I called to his home to ask him about his connections with Charles Haughey and Ben Dunne, his first reaction was one of surprise and shock.
Dressed casually, in a white polo shirt and shorts, he seemed taken aback that a reporter should make the 22-hour journey from Ireland. He quickly recovered his composure but politely declined to say anything.
"I have met Charles Haughey once," he said, and "as for Ben Dunne, I wouldn't know him if I tripped over him".
After some gentle persuading, he finally agreed to talk in his office the following day. The next afternoon, I met him in his office, an unprepossessing building outside the centre of Georgetown.
From the modern office suite, sparsely furnished with one picture on the wall, he ran a company called the International Insurance Management Corporation. It handles captive insurance and he said he ran the business on behalf of a client.
Although only a couple of miles down the road, the office contrasted sharply with his home. He lived in a substantial detached house at the Governor's Harbour, a highly desirable piece of reclaimed land off West Bay Road. (In Irish terms it would compare with Vico Road in Killiney.) He lived there with his wife and sons. Although he owned a boat, he said he didn't really use it. He left that to his sons.
Mr Furze was extremely polite. He had a husky, smoker-like voice and considered every question carefully, before responding.
He said he was limited in what he could say because of the strict rules pertaining to financial disclosure on the Cayman Islands.
He said he had met Charles Haughey only once, at Des Traynor's funeral. He attended the funeral as a representative of Ansbacher. He said he had heard of Ben Dunne, but the last time he had heard about him was when he was arrested in Florida. He denied all knowledge of the £1.1 million payments. Asked if Des Traynor had used his name without his knowledge, he said it was possible.
As I left he invited me to telephone him if I wanted to ask him anything else. Later, I contacted him by telephone and pressed him further on his connection with Des Traynor. He said he had met Traynor while Mr Traynor was working with Haughey Boland in 1969. He refused to say how he had met Mr Traynor or in what context.
Mr Furze said he did not hold accounts on other people's behalf and described Mr Traynor as an honourable man.
Some weeks later, as more details emerged, I phoned him again. This time his demeanour was markedly different. "I'm not talking to the press," he said, before slamming down the telephone.