The Supreme Court has ruled that companies controlled by developer Liam Carroll should not have been allowed go ahead with a second bid for court protection after their first attempt was rejected.
The Supreme Court granted ACC's appeal against the High Court's decision to allow the second examinership attempt.
Chief Justice John Murray said the companies in their first examinership application had consciously and deliberately withheld from the court information which was available to them or could have been obtained by them.
He said that although no bad faith was involved, in the circumstances the second bid for examinership was an abuse of process and the administration of justice.
The court will give its full reasons for its decision tomorrow week.
The decision means the companies cannot now appeal against Mr Justice Frank Clarke's decision to reject the second examinership application.
Company Director of the Zoe group David Torpey refused to make any comment as he left the court.
A stay on winding-up orders against two of the main companies in the group Vantive and Morston remains in place until at least tomorrow week.
