Construction player Sean Joseph O’Reilly cops four-year ban on managing companies

A Brisbane construction industry player found to be involved in the management of three failed companies with collective debts of $2.1m has been slapped with a ban.

A BRISBANE construction industry player has been slapped with a four-year ban on managing companies after the corporate cop determined he had “engaged in illegal phoenix activity’’.

ASIC announced on Tuesday that it had taken action against Sean Joseph O’Reilly of Hemmant after he was involved in the management of three failed companies which crashed with collective debts of more than $2.1 million.

O’Reilly, a 36-year-old bloke from Ireland, copped the penalty following the collapse of LK Construction Australia Pty Ltd, as well as Specialised Workforce Group Pty Ltd and Construction Industries Precast Pty Ltd.

Based on the work of liquidators Chris Cook and Raj Khatri, both operatives with Worrells insolvency firm, ASIC concluded that O’Reilly had illegally transferred business from CIP to another entity in order to continue operating.

Agency sleuths also found that he failed to ensure the payment of tax debts and WorkCover premiums, incurred debts while trading insolvent and lacked accurate and complete records.

O’Reilly, who launched LK Construction in 2012, could not be reached for comment. But his LinkedIn page referring to that company offered some rather dated assurance for clients.

“We live by our motto and provide dedication and performance on every job we do,’’ he wrote — without disclosing just what that motto says.