Drumm proposals fail to sway Anglo

ANGLO IRISH Bank has rejected a series of proposals from its former chief executive David Drumm aimed at settling its action …

ANGLO IRISH Bank has rejected a series of proposals from its former chief executive David Drumm aimed at settling its action against him over unpaid loans of more than €8 million, the Commercial Court heard yesterday.

The bank has declined Mr Drumm’s offer but had made a counter-proposal to him on July 14th last, Mr Justice Peter Kelly was told by Barry O’Donnell, for Anglo.

Unless something came from that counter-proposal, the action against Mr Drumm should proceed in October, he added.

Declan McGrath, for Mr Drumm, indicated his side had sought clarification related to matters in the counter-proposal.

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After Mr O’Donnell said the decision-making process in relation to the proposals advanced involved a considerable number of parties, the judge directed the court should be informed on July 30th next of Mr Drumm’s response to the counter-proposal and adjourned the case to then.

If the counter-proposal is not accepted, the full hearing of the bank’s proceedings against Mr Drumm will begin on October 26th.

Mr Drumm, who resigned in December 2008 as chief executive of Anglo, claims the bank’s demand for immediate repayment of the January 2008 loans breaches loan agreements and has counter-claimed that his employment was not validly terminated in early 2009. He claims Anglo owes him some €2,620,695 in salary, pension and deferred bonus payments and also wants damages.

After the loans action concludes, the court is due to hear Anglo’s action against Mr Drumm and his wife Lorraine to set aside Mr Drumm’s transfer of the family home at Abbington, Malahide, Co Dublin, to his wife. Anglo claims the transfer is a fraud on creditors but the couple, now living in Cape Cod, US, claim it was for “taxation reasons”.

Mary Carolan

Mary Carolan

Mary Carolan is the Legal Affairs Correspondent of the Irish Times