Final juror in Anglo case will be in place on Monday

JURY selection in the trial of former Anglo Irish Bank executive William McAteer and three co-accused has been adjourned until Monday after Dublin Circuit Criminal Court ran out of potential jurors.

More than 270 people answering their jury summons passed through Court Seven yesterday for the selection of an enlarged 15-member jury for the trial, which is expected to last five months.

One man was excused after describing himself as ‘an adamant protester’, while others were allowed go due to personal and work commitments.

Judge Martin Nolan said the jury, once sworn in, would likely not begin hearing evidence in the case until the week after next.

Mr McAteer, 65, of Greenrath, Tipperary town, Co. Tipperary, is accused with three other Anglo and Irish Life & Permanent officials.

They are: John Bowe, 52, from Glasnevin in Dublin, who had been head of capital markets at Anglo Irish Bank; Denis Casey, 56, from Raheny, Dublin, who was chief executive of IL&P until 2009; and Peter Fitzpatrick, 63, from Malahide in Dublin, who was IL&P’s director of finance.

They have all pleaded not guilty to conspiring together and with others to mislead investors through financial transactions to make Anglo appear to have €7.2billion more than it actually had between March 1 and September 30, 2008 in Dublin.

Judge Nolan told the jury panel before the selection process that a person must not serve if disqualified or if they had any strong views on Anglo Irish Bank.

He repeated that the four accused were entitled to a fair and impartial trial and it was the duty of jury members to have an open mind.

Judge Nolan said that anyone who has expressed ‘very strong views’ in a public forum should not serve on the jury.

It took several hours to empanel seven women and seven men on the jury. Once these 14 jurors had been sworn, the judge warned them not to investigate any matters concerning the case on the internet as that would be against the oath they had sworn.

He asked them to return to Court 7 at 10am on Monday for the empanelling of the final juror.