Jim Mansfield jnr wrote to Taoiseach to complain about ‘terrorising’ Garda raid

Jim Mansfield jnr, son of the late businessman Jim Mansfield, complained to Taoiseach Enda Kenny about Garda raids on the family home earlier this year, according to a source close to him.

A letter, which the source said was sent to Mr Kenny on January 31st, two days after the Garda raids, stated a force of approximately 60 officers had surrounded the Mansfield family home in Saggart, Co Dublin, at 6.20am. It said the local road was closed and some officers involved were wearing balaclavas and carrying machine guns.

The Government Press Office would not confirm such a letter had been received.

In the letter, Mr Mansfield (47) said gardaí entered his mother’s bedroom during the raid, “generally terrorising everyone within our home”.

At the same time other Garda officers were “imposing their will in traumatic fashion at the private homes of two members of the senior management of businesses owned by my children, including the Finnstown Castle Hotel near Lucan which was also the subject of a Garda invasion”.

The raid happened on the first anniversary of his father’s death, and members of his family and employees were subjected to questioning about their business affairs, the letter said.

He also complained details of the raid were leaked to the media and he asked the Taoiseach to have the matter investigated.

The Garda Press Office said it would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Mr Mansfield, whose late father developed the Citywest Hotel and Weston Airport, among other businesses, before his assets were seized by the banks after the economic crash, said various Irish authorities were involved in “dark games”.

He is considering trying to bring a case to the European Court of Human Rights alleging that he and his family were illegally deprived of €1.15 billion in assets, according to a source close to him.

In a draft submission to the Strasbourg court, seen by The Irish Times, Mr Mansfield says the family should be able to take its case straight to the court because the defendants "are so conflicted and powerful as to undermine a fair trial in Ireland".

The defendants named in the draft document include the Government, the Central Bank, the “Irish judiciary”, the Garda, banks and liquidators.

As well as listing matters to do with the conduct of the banks and the alleged failure of the State to properly regulate the banking sector, the document also cites “blatant intimidation . . . on January 29th 2015 that sought to destroy” the Mansfield family. This is a reference to the Garda raids.

The document says the court should make a judgment for €1.15 billion in favour of the family, together with interest.

A source close to Mr Mansfield said he did not want to comment, and while legal advice had been taken, no case had yet been registered with the Strasbourg court.