Businessman Peter Conlon may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over being held in solitary confinement in a Swiss prison for a year, the High Court has heard.
Mr Conlon’s firm, the charities fundraising platform Pembroke Dynamic, is being investigated over alleged misappropriation of some €3.8 million in donations.
Last year, the High Court granted the firm’s liquidator, Myles Kirby, an injunction freezing Mr Conlon’s assets below a value of €3.8 million.
Those orders remain in place.
Mr Kirby is also seeking various orders against Mr Conlon, including that he be made personally liable for the company’s debts.
Mr Conlon returned to Ireland last December following his release from prison in Switzerland, where he was convicted of embezzlement.
The liquidator is unable to proceed with his application because of issues including the service of court documents on Mr Conlon. The matter has been adjourned on several occasions
On Wednesday, Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds said that, inappropriately, an email had been sent to the court containing details about Mr Conlon’s health.
The e-mail contained a letter from a GP who said the businessman attended at their practice in late January.
The letter said Mr Conlon had been detained in Zurich from December 22nd 2017 until December 22nd, 2018.
Mr Conlon was held in solitary confinement for 365 days for 23 hours a day, the letter continued.
The doctor said, since his release and return to Ireland, Mr Conlon he had been suffering from flashbacks, anxiety, and insomnia and other symptoms suggestive of PTSD.
The doctor added Mr Conlon has told her, due to his financial situation, he did not have resources to purchase medication the GP had prescribed for him.
He has applied for a medical card and disability benefit, and the doctor has advised him to attend counselling, the letter added.
Gerard Meehan, for the liquidator, said Mr Conlon was playing a game of “hide and seek with the court”, had not obtained lawyers to represent him, and has not furnished any swore statement setting out his assets.
Mr Conlon is understood to be in Nice in the south of France, but has not obtained a lawyer to represent him, and has communicated to his client through third parties, counsel said.
Ms Justice Reynolds adjourned the matter for five weeks and directed that Mr Conlon enter an appearance within two weeks and file a sworn statement including details of his medical conditions.
In January 2018 Mr Kirby was appointed as liquidator of Pembroke Dynamic over a €400,000 debt owed to Revenue.
Pembroke, which previously traded as Ammado Internet Services, was an online donation platform through which people could give money to various charities - with the company taking five per cent.
Mr Kirby claims various charities have not received some €3.8 million donated to them via the platform.
Mr Kirby claims Mr Conlon (64), with an address at St Mary’s Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin is “guilty of very serious misconduct” and that company funds were used for personal expenditure.
