A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
French businessman to appeal 18 month jail sentence
A French businessman behind a scheme in which people on both sides of the Border may have lost millions of pounds is to appeal a jail sentence imposed on him in Belfast almost two weeks ago, his lawyers announced yesterday.
At the chancery court in Belfast last Friday week Mr Justice Deeny ordered that François de Dietrich, a French national based in Co Donegal, be jailed for 18 months for failing to comply with a series of court orders and being in contempt of court.
Under the terms of an earlier injunction, de Dietrich had been ordered to reveal details of his worldwide assets. Injunctions are in place to prevent de Dietrich or his company, ETIC Solutions, from taking any further investments.
Mr Justice Deeny found he acted unlawfully and was deliberately in contempt by failing to disclose his business affairs in full to the Financial Services Authority.
Man claims squatter’s rights
A man is claiming squatter’s rights over lands in Dublin which developers Michael and Tom Bailey claim to own, the High Court heard yesterday.
Retired soldier Philip Gilligan says he is entitled to adverse possession of land at Miltonsfields, Swords, off the old N1 at the “Little Chef” roundabout, on grounds he has kept horses on the property and maintained it for more than 12 years without challenge.The hearing before Mr Justice Roderick Murphy continues.
Film honour for the late Michael Dwyer
Michael Dwyer, the film correspondent of The Irish Timesuntil his death last year, was honoured posthumously at an awards ceremony in London last night celebrating British and Irish cinema.
The RAAM award was presented by film director Jim Sheridan and received by Dwyer’s partner, Brian Jennings.
Now in their seventh year, the RAAM Awards were established to celebrate achievement in the cinema industry.
Vets’ redundancy claims dismissed
Five veterinary surgeons who worked as inspectors at a meat plant have failed to establish they were employees of the Department of Agriculture entitling them to redundancy and minimum notice payments, the High Court ruled yesterday.
John Barry, Conor O’Brien, Mary O’Connor, Michael Spratt and Ciaran Dolan had appealed against a decision of the Employment Appeals Tribunal in relation to their employment status at the former Galtee Meats Plant in Mitchelstown, Cork, which closed in October 2004.
They claimed the department had employed them to inspect the plant and they were therefore entitled to payments under the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967-2003 and under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973-2001.
The department denied their claims and argued they were employed under a contract for service, meaning they were not employees.
In March 2007, the Employment Appeals Tribunal found they were employees but the department appealed to the High Court. The High Court yesterday dismissed their case.