Pat Doherty, one of Ireland’s biggest property developers, made a surprise appearance before parliament this week – not in Dublin but in Jersey, where his company is bidding to build a £330m ($651m) financial services centre.

Harcourt Developments, a privately owned company chaired by the County Donegal businessman, is under fire over claims it misled the island’s parliament by failing to disclose details of a large lawsuit against it in the US.