The former assistant city and county manager George Redmond was refused legal aid in his appeal against his conviction on corruption charges last December.
The Court of Criminal Appeal today denied his application on the grounds it was not satisfied his means were insufficient for him to get legal aid. Redmond, who is currently serving a one-year sentence at Cloverhill prison, was accompanied by two prison officers.
Redmond (80) took the witness stand and, under oath, was questioned about his financial means.
The court heard he has a pension of just over €41,000 per annum, or €1,585 net per fortnight, and a sum of between €20,000 and €30,000 in an account with the EBS. He said his family home had been sold to allow him make a settlement with the Criminal Assets Bureau.
Redmond reminded the court that the pension was one "towards which I contributed".
The court heard Redmond had made a settlement of around £780,000 with CAB in 2000 as a result of an assessment of his tax liabilities, which potentially stood at £2.5 million. As part of that settlement, he had to declare all assets and all bank accounts. It was agreed that if any asset should later come to light that was not on that schedule, the the agreement was void and CAB would be entitled to pursue Redmond for the full £2.5 million.
His wife had since sold an apartment at 9a, Fitzwilliam Place which was declared as part of the settlement and which had been transferred to her ownership.
Redmond said he supports his wife, who is "75 years young". Redmond claimed today he owed some €150,000 to a family member who had loaned him money to pay his legal bills. He had dispensed with the services of a senior and junior counsel at the Mahon tribunal after he realised he could not pay them "up front" and was now appearing on his own behalf, he said.
The 80-year-old said he had been expecting a "refund" of the legal fees but it was now possible he would not and that he could face further legal bills.
Asked about the costs incurred during his criminal trial, Redmond said his wife had paid these. She had asked him was he guilty and when he had said he was not, she said she would pay the costs involved in the trial, he told the court.
Redmond was jailed for one year last December after a jury in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court found him guilty on two related charges of corruption.