Murphy `concerned about investment'

In Autumn 1992, the late Mr Des Traynor informed Mr Paul Carty of Deloitte & Touche that he would be using a nominee company as a vehicle for making and holding an investment in Celtic Helicopters, Mr Carty told the tribunal yesterday.

Mr Traynor advised that the nominee company would probably be Overseas Nominees. The company's affairs were dealt with by his former Guinness & Mahon Guernsey colleagues at Credit Suisse Guernsey, Mr Carty said.

These people were previously involved in a Guinness & Mahon-associated company in Guernsey which came under the control of Credit Suisse.

Mr Traynor did not identify any of those colleagues and Mr Carty never had dealings with Credit Suisse.

Mr Carty said he told one investor, Mr Mike Murphy, who was concerned about preserving the confidentiality of his investment, that he understood Overseas Nominees would be the registered shareholder and that it would make the investment on behalf of all those investing in Celtic Helicopters at the time.

Mr Murphy later requested details of how he should make the payment and where, but did not ask specifically for an account number, Mr Carty said.

Mr Carty assumed Mr Murphy was not just making the cheque payable to the nominee company but was rather "going to transfer the funds to Overseas Nominees, an account where the shareholders' funds were being gathered together in one lot".

Mr Carty subsequently contacted Mr Traynor who gave him a reference number which he understood to be the Credit Suisse bank account reference number of Overseas Nominees together with the relevant branch.

He was not sure what the location of the Credit Suisse bank account was - whether it was "London, Jersey or Zurich".

He recalled passing the information on indirectly to Mr Murphy, perhaps through Mr John Barnacle.

Counsel for the tribunal later displayed a £100,000 cheque drawn on Bank of Ireland Dundrum branch from a Mike Murphy Insurances account.

The date of the cheque was September 21st, 1992 and the payee was Credit Suisse London.

Mr Carty agreed the cheque was dated before his first meeting with Mr Murphy about his investment, but he said Mr Murphy was the only one who could explain why that was the case.

Mr Carty had not seen the cheque in question until he got a copy of it yesterday.