Project Clock: The inside story of Clerys and Deirdre Foley

Watchdog investigating last year’s shock closure of the iconic store is now itself being investigated

The Clerys department store on OConnell Street in Dublin closed last yearin controversial circumstances Inset: Natrium boss Deirdre Foley Pictures: Feargal Ward/Collins

The sudden closure of Clerys last year caused widespread outrage as 460 workers were unceremoniously sacked hours after the famous department store was sold.

Now the watchdog tasked with investigating the lawfulness of those redundancies is in the firing line, accused of overstepping its powers by the woman at the forefront of the controversial deal.

At issue is the seizure of documents and a laptop from the premises of real estate firm D2 ...