Independent News & Media chairman Dr Tony O'Reilly has issued libel proceedings against The Irish Times after yesterday's editions said he was described as an Ansbacher depositor in the report of the State-appointed authorised officer on Ansbacher (Cayman) Ltd.
Dr O'Reilly's spokesman repeated a statement made last Sunday which said: "He [Dr O'Reilly] does not have, nor did he ever have, directly or indirectly, an Ansbacher deposit account."
Several other senior figures reported to be included on a list of 120 people associated with Ansbacher compiled by the authorised officer have denied involvement with the company.
Former EU Commissioner and one-time Attorney General Mr Peter Sutherland said he did not have or control any account with College Trustees, an offshore trust company associated with Ansbacher which managed money for wealthy Irish clients.
Mr Sutherland declined to comment to The Irish Times yesterday. However, speaking on RTE radio, he said he had dealings with Guinness & Mahon Bank, Ansbacher Cayman's original owners, in the 1970s. He would be quite happy to discuss this "with the relevant parties".
Mr Sutherland said he had been a non-resident of the State for most of the last 15 or 20 years. Asked if this meant he could have had an Ansbacher account or an offshore account "without anything being wrong", Mr Sutherland said: "It certainly does in that context." Mr Sutherland said he currently held offshore accounts.
Mr Sutherland continued: "Nobody has ever spoken to me on this issue. Nobody has ever raised the issue and I think that the process whereby names of this kind are put into the public media without any discussion - when as I've said I didn't have or control any account with College Trustees - is to my mind quite incredible."
Mr Sutherland said he was amazed to see his father, Mr W.G. Sutherland, cited in newspaper reports about Ansbacher. "The first time he ever heard of anything about this was in the Sunday paper. He has no idea what they're talking about. This is an 85-year-old man who's never done anything in his life."
In a statement, Fine Gael MEP Ms Mary Banotti said she never lodged any cheques in respect of business expenses in Guinness & Mahon Bank.
"I have never had an account in or any business dealings whatsoever with Guinness & Mahon Bank, nor have I had an Ansbacher account or a Guernsey account."
Ms Banotti said: "Any such cheques payable to me, which were so lodged in Guinness & Mahon bank, can only have been lodged by the professional firm which managed my business affairs in my Dublin office - namely the payment of my staff and administration expenses including PAYE - since I became an MEP in 1984."
The Irish Times has contacted Ms Banotti's home and office in Dublin and Brussels office several times since Sunday and she had not responded by late yesterday. On RTE radio, she said she had an account with an accountancy firm which has paid her office expenses and was a compliant taxpayer.
Ms Banotti said she accepted that her name was on the list of 120 contained in Mr Ryan's report. "I have no idea how it did [appear on the list]. I gather it must have been some reference to the two cheques totalling as I say £820 and if it is £820 I'm not sure that Ansbacher had many accounts of that size of money."
Ms Banotti said she had never met the late Des Traynor, who set up the system. She said she supported Fine Gael's call for the release of all the names.
In a brief statement yesterday, the family of the late Hugh Coveney, a Fine Gael TD for Cork South-Central, denied that he was an Ansbacher depositor. "In response to a report in today's Irish Times, the family of the late Hugh Coveney wish to state categorically that Hugh Coveney never held a deposit account with Ansbacher (Cayman) Ltd." Mr Simon Coveney TD, his son, was not available for further comment. The chairman of Bord na Mona, Mr Pat Dineen, has also denied holding an Ansbacher deposit account. "Mr P.J. Dineen is not now and never has been a depositor in Ansbacher (Cayman) Ltd. Mr Dineen has never had deposits in any offshore island. He has not been contacted by any Government official either directly or indirectly," said a spokesman's statement.
Asked if Mr Dineen was an Ansbacher trustee or a member of any company associated with Ansbacher, his spokesman said Mr Dineen's solicitors had advised him to make no further comment.
Dr O'Reilly's Independent News & Media fellow-director, Mr James S. McCarthy, has denied "knowingly" holding an Ansbacher deposit account. In a statement yesterday, he said: "I wish to confirm that I never knowingly, at any stage, held an Ansbacher deposit account either directly or indirectly."
Asked if Mr McCarthy was a member of an Ansbacher trust, a spokesman for Mr McCarthy said he was not. In a statement, another Independent News & Media director, Mr Vincent Ferguson, said he "never at any stage held an Ansbacher deposit account either directly or indirectly".
A former Central Bank director and Fianna Fail fund-raiser, Mr Ken O'Reilly-Hyland, also denied holding an Ansbacher account. "I have not and neither has any member of my family, had or ever had, an account with Ansbacher," said a statement.
Another named depositor, former CRH director Mr Richard Wood, did not return a call to his home. A former member of The Irish Times Trust, Mr Wood said last week that he was not a depositor. Approached for a third time yesterday, another depositor and former CRH board member Mr Gerry Hickey again refused to comment. Mr Hickey is also a former director of New Ireland Assurance Company.
Former Irish Life chief executive and CRH director in 1987 Mr Bob Willis did not return a phone call to his home.
Architect Mr Sam Stephenson, named as an Ansbacher depositor, did not return two phone calls to his Dublin office. Mr Arthur Gibney, a former partner of Mr Stephenson who was also named as a depositor, was not available yesterday.
Another named depositor Mr Harry T. Murray, a director of Murray's Rent-a-Car, also failed to return calls to his office.
