Martin Tobin also paid for flights and accommodation to Paris, Portugal and St Andrews in Scotland in March, memberships at Portmarnock Golf Club for himself and family and friends, and five rooms for family and friends at Adare Manor. He is accused of using around €706,000 of European Recycling Platform (ERP) Ireland DAC funds on expenses including accommodation, gift cards, restaurants and two rooms for himself, his wife and two friends at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. 2022.
The ERP said it included 232,000 euros in uninsured costs, including one case where it charged 1 euro per kilometer for a trip of about 3,000 kilometers, instead of the 25 cents per kilometer rate allowed by revenue.
It is also alleged that he used company funds to improve his patio, convert his motorhome and buy a mobile home in Wexford worth €87,000. He also spent about €30,000 installing two “geodomes” in his backyard, which were apparently used for yoga and Reiki classes by his wife Fran, the ERP said.
Mr Tobin, of Ellismore, Streamstown, Malahide, Co. Dublin, is being sued to recover money from ERP, a subsidiary of Germany’s Landberg, which provides electronic equipment and battery recycling support to producers to meet their statutory environmental obligations.
He denies the allegations.
ERP is also suing two companies, Ecoplex and EC Environmental, as well as Tobin’s sons Neil and Dean, who run these companies, alleging that Martin illegally and dishonestly paid approximately €3.3 million from ERP.
Mr Martin is said to have approved grossly inflated payments to Neils Ecoplex for battery collection services from 2020 to 2024 totaling approximately €2.4 million. According to ERP, Ecoflex operated one, and in some cases two, collection vehicles.
To hide the cost of a €17,000 campervan conversion, payments were allegedly made through Ecoplex while the contractor for the €24,000 home patio work provided ERP with an invoice for the supply of “storage cages/frames” (for waste electronics).
90 Second News, Monday, January 19th
Mr Tobin is alleged to have approved payments of approximately €915,000 to EC Environmental, of which Dean Tobin is a major shareholder. ERP says it is “unknown” whether EC Environmental provided any services.
The two corporate defendants and Tobin’s sons also deny the allegations.
The allegations are contained in an affidavit by ERP Country General Manager James Burgess, who is filing the matter with a view to expedited recourse to the Commercial Court.
On Monday, Judge Mark Sanfey added the case to the commercial list after being told by ERP barrister Paul Gallagher SC and Keith Farry BL that the application was based on consent between the parties. The judge also approved directions for the proceeding of the case.
Mr. Burgess said in his affidavit that Mr. Tobin took leave for health reasons in January 2024, but continued to perform certain duties and maintain control of the company’s bank accounts.
In August 2024, Mr Lundberg became aware that he had received a director loan of approximately €19,000 from ERP, contrary to group policy. He apologized to the board and refunded the money.
In September 2024, his wife advised the board that his health had deteriorated and he had permanently stepped down from his role at ERP.
Further investigation into Tobin’s conduct was conducted by Teneo’s forensic accountants when allegations of financial irregularities, which Tobin denied, came to light.
Among Mr Teneo’s other findings, it was found that out of the approximately 693,000 euros paid to him between 2020 and 2024, the total bonus he received was approximately 245,000 euros, which was approximately 123,000 euros more than the amount approved by the Landberg Group.
Burgess said Tobin had intermittently claimed since September 2024 that he was too unwell to work on ERP in connection with the company’s operations. He also refused to attend an occupational health examination arranged by the company.
“ERP has certain reservations about the accuracy of the information provided regarding the defendant’s health,” Burgess said.
He said the reasons included a photo that appeared to show him on a golf course in St Andrews, Scotland, in April 2025, which was also the date he was scheduled to attend an occupational health assessment.
The other was a video of him appearing to be celebrating with his wife and son Dean after the Ireland-Hungary soccer victory at Gibney’s Bar in Malahide in November last year.