A convicted conman accused of defrauding Waterford hurling boss Davy Fitzgerald is denying the allegations and is ready to struggle them in court docket.
isgraced former banker Kevin Jarlath Mitchell was tracked all the way down to his new base in north London – the place the convicted thief now runs a well being and security agency.
On Tuesday, Eire’s Fittest Household mentor Fitzgerald alleged that Mitchell had defrauded him by forging his signature on mortgages for ‘six or seven properties’ in Portugal.
And the Clare hurling legend additionally claimed that €45,000 he had on deposit in ACC, the place Mitchell was his banking “relationship supervisor” is at the moment unaccounted for.
Seventy-two hours after the allegations had been made within the Excessive Courtroom, we tracked the previous high-flying cash man to a north London flat, the place he now lives above a creche.
After knocking on the entrance door, a feminine got here down and requested why our reporter needed to talk with the 63-year-old.
She then stated she didn’t consider Mitchell would communicate with our reporter in particular person.
“He hasn’t had excellent experiences with journalists,” she stated.
Requested if Mitchell was conscious of the allegations that had been made in court docket in opposition to him, she responded: “He’s conscious of it … yeah. In case you depart your particulars then he (Kevin) can contact his lawyer who’s coping with, tips on how to take care of this. These allegations will not be humorous in any respect.”
When our reporter gave the girl his contact particulars, she requested him to attend outdoors to permit her to talk with Mitchell once more.
The girl – who declined to stipulate the character of her relationship with Mitchell – then went again inside to see if the previous banker would come down and communicate with our reporter for himself.
On returning, she stated Mitchell was not going to talk with us.
“He stated every thing that was printed in opposition to him just isn’t true. He’ll struggle it – however not, like this, by means of a tit-for-tat within the newspapers.”
A short while later, we photographed Mitchell as he left the property and drove away.
Mitchell, who served a two-year sentence in Eire for stealing €450,000 of ACC shopper funds, moved to the UK after his launch from jail right here in 2016.
Firm paperwork present that after settling in London, Mitchell arrange quite a lot of new ventures.
One of many corporations outlined its enterprise as momentary employment company actions. The second gives administration consultancy providers in occupational well being and security.
The allegations by Davy Fitzgerald in opposition to Mitchell date from the interval when the cash man was a member of employees with ACC financial institution.
The Waterford senior hurling supervisor is preventing authorized proceedings through which possession is sought of a home he owns and his sister Helen lives.
Mr Fitzgerald, from Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, claimed he first found final July that his identify had, with out his information, been placed on “false” mortgage documentation for “six or seven” properties in Portugal.
And he alleges that it was former ACC Financial institution official, Mitchell, whom he had skilled dealings with a number of years in the past, who put his identify on the “false mortgages and paperwork”.
Mr Fitzgerald claims Mitchell had been his “relationship supervisor” and accepts that he took out loans with ACC.
He says primarily based on Mitchell’s recommendation, he purchased an condominium in Portugal. That property just isn’t the topic of the Portuguese motion.
Nevertheless, Mr Fitzgerald says he had no concept he was concerned with the opposite properties till he obtained paperwork from the Portuguese courts throughout the summer time.
He has needed to instruct Portuguese attorneys to defend himself in these proceedings.
In his sworn assertion, Mr Fitzgerald stated that Mitchell was jailed for falsifying paperwork.
He claims additionally that €45,000 that was held on deposit in ACC is at the moment unaccounted for.
Consequently, the court docket heard, Mr Fitzgerald has sued ACC Mortgage Administration and Mitchell for damages for alleged fraud, negligence and deceit.
Mr Fitzgerald’s fraud proceedings had been talked about when the separate case in opposition to him and his sister Helen Fitzgerald got here earlier than the Deputy Grasp of the Excessive Courtroom on Tuesday.
Pepper Finance and receiver James Anderson, of Deloitte, had issued a summons in opposition to the siblings in search of possession of the property the place Helen Fitzgerald lives, at Clonara, Sixmilebridge.
The main points of how Mitchell beforehand defrauded clients of ACC, together with a pensioner and two shut buddies, to repay money owed arising from unsuccessful investments within the property market had been revealed throughout his trial in 2013.
Mitchell pleaded responsible to 10 pattern counts of expenses referring to stealing cash from purchasers whereas he was a senior official at ACC Financial institution in Kilrush, Co Clare.
These included expenses of theft, acquiring money and a cheque beneath false pretences and falsifying a DIRT compliance certificates on dates between 1993 and 2012.
The court docket heard that the father-of-five stole €197,000 from pensioner John Patrick Ryan after main the person to consider that he had been depositing his money in a high-interest account.
Mitchell additionally stole €250,000 from buddies and clients, Patrick and Susan Flanagan.
The court docket heard that ACC financial institution absolutely reimbursed Mr Ryan and the Flanagans, whereas Mitchell surrendered successfully his whole pension fund, valued at €600,000, by the use of recompense to the financial institution.
The fraudster was initially sentenced to 4 years in jail for his crimes however this was later lowered to 2 years by the court docket of enchantment.