Investment Club Olint Corporation Ltd is pursuing its application to bar former Solicitor General Michael Hylton, QC, from representing the National Commercial Bank.

The issue is now before the Court of Appeal as Olint is appealing a Supreme Court ruling last week which turned down its application to bar Hylton.

President of the Court of Appeal, Seymour Panton, heard legal arguments in chambers yesterday and is to rule today as to whether Hylton will be barred from representing the bank until the appeal has been heard.

Notice served

The bank had served notice on Olint that it was going to close its accounts because it was not regulated by the Financial Services Commission (FSC). The notice followed a Supreme Court ruling in December last year which upheld a cease-and-desist order which was issued by the FSC in March 2006. Olint went to the Supreme Court and got court orders barring the bank from doing so until there was a hearing.

When the matter came for hearing last month, Olint applied for Hylton to withdraw from the case, claiming that there was a conflict of interest because of his former positions of solicitor general and chairman of the FSC.

Supreme Court Judge Roy Jones ruled last week that there was no evidence that there had been a breach of confidentiality or that Hylton gave confidential information to the bank.