A former head of finance at Our Lady's Hospice has been handed a two-year prison sentence for his role in a"devious" scheme to sell a Spanish property left to the charity at a"grossly undervalued" price.
Judge Nolan said it is"difficult" to know why Maguire got involved with this scheme, however, the court inferred that it was a"simple matter of greed". Maguire then granted power of attorney to a Spanish firm of solicitors to act in the inheritance process. He also travelled to Spain on several occasions to attend meetings.
The Spanish solicitor became concerned about the nature of the sale and indicated an investor was willing to purchase the property at a higher price. The solicitor's concerns were not relayed to the board of OLH by Maguire. The scheme was discovered after a HSE audit raised concerns in September 2015, seven months after the sale was completed.Maguire was dismissed from his role in September 2016 following an internal disciplinary process and an independent investigation.
Sun Orange Property retain legal title to the property and it is understood a tenant is renting the house.