THE HIGH Court has adjourned to later this month a businessman’s bid to avoid returning to prison for contempt of court orders requiring him to secure the return of leased machinery worth €2 million.

Ms Justice Mary Laffoy yesterday adjourned, for two weeks, an application by Donal Rigney, who was freed temporarily last week, to purge his contempt arising from orders that he return machinery to finance company Lombard Ireland Ltd. Lombard brought the proceedings after Mr Rigney’s failure to return 17 pieces of machinery, including dumper trucks and cranes, with an estimated worth between €1.9 million and €2 million. Mr Rigney, a plant hire operator of Gortacur, Mount Bolus, Tullamore, Co Offaly, was committed to Mountjoy Prison last August but absconded before the committal order was effected.

He presented himself to gardaí three weeks ago and was brought to Mountjoy Prison where he remained until last week.