Bank of Ireland has been instructed to transfer €40,000 from teacher Enoch Burke’s bank account to a Courts Service account within seven days, reports RTE.
This payment is a partial settlement of nearly €80,000 in fines he owes for contempt of court.
The High Court this morning converted a ‘conditional’ order it had placed on his bank account last week into an ‘absolute’ order, requiring the bank to process the payment within a week, reports RTE.
Additionally, the court approved a discovery request from the Attorney General’s legal team, directing the bank to disclose further details regarding transactions in Mr. Burke’s account.
Mr. Burke has accrued €79,100 in fines for contempt of court after repeatedly appearing at Wilson’s Hospital School in Westmeath despite being suspended and later dismissed, defying court orders.
He has also spent over 500 days in prison for violating these injunctions, reports RTE.
Mr. Burke is appealing his dismissal, but the appeal has not yet been heard as it is pending the resolution of other legal proceedings he has initiated in the Court of Appeal.
Last week, Mr. Justice David Nolan issued a conditional garnishee order against Mr. Burke’s bank account.
The hearing provided Mr. Burke an opportunity to argue why the order should not be made absolute. However, the judge ruled against him, stating that Mr. Burke had not presented any valid reason to prevent the order from being finalized, reports RTE.
The court also approved the request from Senior Counsel Brian Kennedy, representing the Attorney General, to obtain discovery from Bank of Ireland.
Mr. Kennedy explained that this was necessary to determine whether Mr. Burke held additional bank accounts or had attempted to transfer or conceal assets following the imposition of the fines, reports RTE.
He added that a receiver had already been appointed to manage Mr. Burke’s Department of Education salary, and information from the bank could clarify whether the receiver’s authority should be expanded.
While Mr. Burke persistently attempted to make his arguments, the judge proceeded with his ruling.
Mr. Burke had begun discussing the reasons for his suspension from Wilson’s Hospital School in 2022, stating that his belief in the binary nature of male and female was a religious conviction protected by the Constitution, reports RTE.
The judge responded that the discussion had moved beyond that topic and that the court was not a platform for such debates.
After allowing Mr. Burke some time to present his arguments, the judge informed him that his patience had run out and that the decision would be made on a fair and proportionate basis.
He emphasized that the court must ensure compliance with its orders, reports RTE.
As the judge delivered his ruling, Mr. Burke continued speaking loudly, at one point telling the judge to “just grow up a little bit.”
During the proceedings, another man in the courtroom held up a crest and repeatedly demanded to be allowed to speak.
The court was informed that Mr. Burke had €40,000 in his bank account, and the law permits a garnishee order to be issued on accounts with sufficient funds, reports RTE.
Mr. Burke argued that his salary had been “seized” and his account frozen.
The judge responded that Mr. Burke was fully aware of the reasons for these actions, reports RTE.
He noted that he had released Mr. Burke from jail last December, opting to impose a fine instead, and that the money in his account would now go toward the fines he had previously failed to pay.
As Mr. Burke continued speaking, the judge left the bench. The case is scheduled to return to court in two weeks, reports RTE.
