The director of a retail clothes company who disappeared from outside the High Court on Thursday turned up there yesterday. The court was told that £235,000 which had been transferred out of the company's bank accounts had been returned, as had £22,000 in cash that had been missing.
On Thursday, Mr Justice O'Neill made an order committing Mr John Walsh to prison for failing to reveal where the money was. The court adjourned briefly to allow Mr Walsh a "last chance" and he disappeared.
Mr Felix McEnroy SC, for Mrs Jean Walsh, said his client's position was that Mr Walsh had been acting under "an external influence" but his co-operation yesterday had been impeccable. Mrs Walsh, who with her husband is a director of Jeanswear Ltd in Limerick, on Thursday had sought orders "freezing" money the company owned, which had been lodged in an account but was not there on Thursday.
Mrs Walsh said on affidavit that her husband had become involved recently with an organisation for physical and mental wellbeing and that he had spent £15,000 of the firm's money attending a seminar in Egypt in September. Mr McEnroy said it had been indicated that this organisation was under the auspices of a business run by Mr Tony Quinn.
Mrs Walsh said her husband had begun to behave in an uncharacteristic manner. On December 9th she discovered he had transferred £235,000 from the company's accounts with AIB in Limerick to an account he had opened in his own name and had kept £22,000 cash takings.
Yesterday Mr Justice O'Neill said he would continue an order giving Mrs Walsh control of the company's affairs until January 22th for mention.
Mr John Peart, solicitor, for Mr Walsh, said his client wished to apologise sincerely to the court for Thursday's events. The judge accepted the apology.