The information has been seized under search warrants obtained earlier this year in a joint investigation between the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement and the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation into suspected breaches of company law.

A sworn statement by a Garda Inspector and officer of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, Eamon Keogh, said thousand of electronic files were being examined and up to three million electronic attachment messages needed to be examined in detail.

 

Lawyers for the bank said it was co-operating with the investigation and was happy to consent to the extension order. Paul O Higgins, SC for the ODCE was unable to say how long the process of taking witness statements would take. Mr Justice Peter Kelly said it was quite clear that a huge volume of electronic material needed to be examined, which was a daunting task.