Christies Leisure Group director Howard Holland and Guernsey Nightclubs managing director Martin Rogan were each handed the bans by the High Court, Belfast, because of their conduct as directors of CI Restaurants (Ireland) Ltd, which traded as Christies Brasserie in Belfast’s Linehall Street.
The restaurant opened in 2001, but went into liquidation in September 2004 owing nearly £500,000.
The disqualification covers the whole of the UK, but is not applicable in Guernsey.
Mr Holland’s lawyer, Advocate Peter Ferbrache, said yesterday that the ruling from last May did not in any way affect his client’s Guernsey operations, which include Christies, Barbados, Le Petit Bistro, The Boathouse and The Square.
‘Howard Holland’s companies in Guernsey are all financially stable. This does not affect it. This all dates back some years and has no bearing on his ability to be able to trade in Guernsey and he will continue to trade in Guernsey as he has done.’
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland brought the matter to the High Court.
Master Redpath, who presided over the case, said there was a total Crown debt of £657,515 from the two men’s failed companies.
Matters of unfit conduct alleged by the trade department in relation to Mr Rogan as a director of Christies included causing the business to be financed by non-payment of £284,225 of monies properly payable in respect of the Pay As You Earn system, National Insurance contributions and VAT.
The court also heard he had failed to learn from previous experience in that he was the director of two other failed companies that were also financed by £373,290 owed to the Crown.
Mr Holland also answered to propping up Christie’s with £284,225 and with failing to learn from his previous experience when he was director of another failed company that was financed by £72,808 owed to the Crown.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr Holland said: ‘Although an article has very recently appeared in the Irish Press, these events go back over a number of years.
‘The company that I was principally involved in in Ireland was a restaurant business and even then I was not the majority shareholder. Unfortunately through adverse trading conditions the company failed.
‘I and my partner in the business, Martin Rogan, ensured that suppliers and others who could have been adversely affected by the company’s liquidation had their accounts paid.
‘We took advice and traded properly. Unfortunately, as stated, due to adverse trading conditions, the company failed, but the only creditor was the Crown.
‘There is reference to me being involved in another company but I was very much a minority shareholder in respect of that company and had resigned as a director some significant time before it went into liquidation.
‘That salutary experience has taught me that it is extremely difficult to try and run a catering business from outside of these shores.’
Mr Rogan, whose local business covers Rogues nightclub, Claddagh and Praha, which was formerly Milanos, echoed those words and said his businesses too were going strong.
He added that he was no longer a business partner of Mr Holland, having bought Guernsey Nightclubs from him in 2003.
Peter Neville, director-general of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, the regulatory body for the island’s finance sector, said the commission was not in a position to comment because the matter involved two restaurateurs, who were not involved in regulated financial services business in Guernsey.
A police fraud department spokesman said it was not looking into the case.
‘If you are disqualified as a director, it is a civil matter and regulatory.’



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