TONY Taylor has been a prominent figure in the investment community for more than 20 years. Sources in the industry say he saw himself as an "investment guru" who believed he could deliver the highest returns for his clients.

Since the mid 1970s he has aggressively set about marketing his company, Taylor Asset Managers, to attract wealthy clients.

The company frequently took out full page advertisements in the Sunday papers to show how its returns were outperforming those of other fund managers in the Republic.

Mr Taylor's main residence is in Dublin's Anglesea Road. He also owns a timeshare property in the US.

For many years, he maintained a high profile within the investment industry and was founding president of the Irish Brokers' Association.

Mr Taylor was also a former member of the Government appointed body to advise on the incorporation of the EU investment intermediaries direction in Ireland.