Former Anglo Irish Bank CEO and chairman Sean FitzPatrick has died aged 73.
He passed away yesterday from cardiac arrest.
Mr FitzPatrick - known as Seanie to friends and family - was chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank (originally City of Dublin Bank) between the mid-1980s and 2005, and was chairman until he resigned in December 2008.
The bank grew from a small bank to one of the biggest in the country, with shares peaking at more than €17 each in 2007.
The dramatic rise of Anglo coincided with the explosion of the Celtic Tiger and a property bubble that subsequently spectacularly burst.
However, the bank collapsed during the bank crisis of 2008, and was ultimately nationalised in January 2009.
It eventually became Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, which is still being wound down to this day.
Sean FitzPatrick went on trial in 2014 and again in 2016 on charges of financial irregularities, but was acquitted on both occasions
In 2017, he was acquitted of all charges following the longest criminal trial in the history of the state.
He had been accused of failing to disclose multi-million euro loans to the bank’s auditors.
However, the judge directed the jury to clear the former banker of all charges as he was concerned there was a real concern that Mr FitzPatrick was being denied his constitutional right to a fair trial.
The judge said there were “fundamental errors” in the investigation carried out by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement.
The ODCE later admitted its investigation into Anglo Irish Bank "went wrong in a pretty catastrophic way".
Mr FitzPatrick is survived by his wife and three children.
Newstalk's deputy business editor Gavin McLoughlin told Lunchtime Live Mr FitzPatrick was "one of the most significant figures in Irish economic history".
He said: "He was an accountant by background, and he took over what was called City of Dublin Bank in the 80s - a tiny operation, really.
"He very successfully grew it and grew it and grew it into what became Anglo Irish Bank.
"Anglo mainly focused on business lending and property lending during the Celtic Tiger."
Gavin said "we all know what happened at Anglo" during the crash, and Mr FitzPatrick became a "very controversial figure" in the wake of the bank's collapse.
He said the news of his death has come as a "big surprise", noting that Mr FitzPatrick had been living an "under the radar" life following his 2017 acquittal.
