An entrepreneur who denies being reckless about filing an annual return to the Companies Registration Office (CRO) will face trial in October and wants access to audio recordings from his bail hearings claiming they were relevant to his defence.
Company director Illann Power, 31, Co Carlow, was charged last year following an investigation by the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA).
He faced three charges of providing false information contrary to Section 876 of the Companies Act 2014, knowingly or recklessly furnishing information to an electronic filing agent from 2014 to 2017.
In March, Dublin District Court heard from his solicitor that he was entering a guilty plea to one charge of being reckless as to whether a B1 filing and accompanying documentation was made for the financial year 2014/2015; with the remaining charges to be withdrawn.
On May 5, he changed his plea to not guilty, saying he wished to clear his good name.
Today Judge John Hughes ordered the half-day hearing to be held on October 17, and the prosecution provided Mr Power with disclosure of evidence, including statements and an interview DVD.
Mr Power was granted liberty to apply for copies of the district court's digital audio from his bail hearings in July and September last year.
He told the court they were relevant to his case and that he required them.
A solicitor was previously instructed to act for the businessman now representing himself.
Mr Power told Judge Hughes he was not eligible for legal aid but that he may retain a lawyer after returning to work following surgery in September.
The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that the matter was suitable to be dealt with at the District Court and not the Circuit Court, which has broader sentencing powers.
The District Court has accepted jurisdiction to hear the case.
Mr Power was previously a founder of spirits company Incubrands, which Bacardi later acquired.
He later co-created Nohovation, a start-up venture fund and investment firm Illann Power Companies.
Initially, he had been granted bail with strict conditions, including signing on daily at a local Garda station and surrendering his travel documents.
However, those conditions were later relaxed to allow Mr Power to work in America.
He was allowed to keep his passport and green card and to move to the US after the court heard he had every intention of returning to Ireland to face the proceedings.
