Seán Dunne to appeal K Club warrant ruling

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Seán Dunne is to appeal the High Court’s decision upholding a warrant for a K Club house search and its refusal to allow cross-examination of the official who obtained it. Bill Shipsey SC, representing Mr Dunne, announced the intended Supreme Court appeal on 14 May 2014. The proceedings were reported on 15 May 2014.

The High Court rejected the warrant challenge in the month before the report. It found that Mr Dunne had established no grounds for treating the warrant as invalid or defective on its face, and dismissed the cross-examination application. Mr Justice McGovern said the Dunne side would have to pay the costs of the High Court hearing.

The warrant authorised Chris Lehane, the official assignee responsible for Mr Dunne’s Irish bankruptcy, to search the property at Churchfield, Straffan, Kildare, the previous November. His staff seized assets from the house, among them artworks.

Mr Dunne denied owning the property, saying that Traviata, a company registered in the Isle of Man, held it in trust for his children. His wife, Gayle Dunne, his son John Dunne and Traviata supported the request to cross-examine Mr Lehane and asserted claims to some seized items. Gabriel Gavigan SC, representing those parties, said he had received no instructions to appeal.