Forensic accountant given access to Jim Ferry’s financial documents

Donegal County Council has been granted orders by the High Court to access financial documents relating to Jim Ferry’s former waste collector business.
Mr Ferry and his partner, Carol Eliot have agreed to a forensic accountant being given access to the papers which are currently held by Gardai in Letterkenny.
The court heard that the Criminal Assets Bureau had raided premises associated with Mr Ferry and had taken documents.
However, according to the Irish Times, financial statements and records of clients of Mr Ferry’s waste collection business were held by Gardaí in Letterkenny rather than the CAB.
Donegal County Council has made attempts to establish where money that Mr Ferry collected went.
The clean-up cost of the Rossbracken site in Letterkenny where Mr Ferry admitted dumping tens of thousands of tons of waste illegally has been estimated to be in the region of €4.5 million and €5.8million.
The local authority say the money collected by Mr Ferry should be retrieved to fund the clean-up.
Richard Lyons, SC for the council, said a forensic accountant had completed an interim report on Mr Ferry’s finances but needed a court order to get access to the documents to complete his work.
Francis Treanor, for Mr Ferry, did not contest the application, which Mr Justice Barrett granted.
The case has been adjourned until March 26th.