A CORK "business consultant" says he plans to reopen Jessbrook, the Co Kildare equestrian centre set up by Mr John Gilligan and his wife Geraldine.
The centre has been closed since a raid by the Criminal Assets Bureau and the County Sheriff. They seized horses, vehicles and other assets from the £1.6 million development last November.
Mr Gilligan is currently facing drug trafficking charges in Britain.
Yesterday Dr Michael Grimes said he was appointed receiver to Jessbrook by a British court at the instigation of a Beirut based businessman, Mr Joseph Saouma.
Dr Grimes said that on October 18th last an initial application was made to the British High Court establishing Mr Saouma's claim, and that on January 16th last he was appointed receiver by the court to Mr Gilligan's assets, including Jessbrook and two houses in Dublin.
He said he was receiver "on behalf of Joseph Saouma, who is, owed £4 million which he lent to Mr Gilligan to build the equestrian centre".
It is my intention to reopen the equestrian centre. It is the finest in Europe, it holds 2,800 people in an indoor arena," he said. He added that he had never worked for Mr Gilligan.
He expects his claim to the properties to be contested by the Gilligan family and by Mr Barry Galvin the chief legal officer of the Criminal Assets Bureau.
Dr Grimes is a doctor of engineering. He said yesterday he was not an accountant or a barrister, but was best described as a "business consultant" or "lawyer", as he lectured in international law.
After the raid on Jessbrook last November, Mrs Gilligan sought a High Court injunction preventing the Criminal Assets Bureau from selling the assets seized. Mr Galvin told the court he was satisfied Mrs Gilligan had for many years been a partner of her husband "in his conduct of criminal enterprises".
Mrs Gilligan obtained a temporary injunction and the County Sheriff for Co Kildare later gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court that no further property of Mrs Gilligan would be sold pending further High Court proceedings.