A financial services company and its chairman have denied claims by the firm’s managing director that he was summarily dismissed last month.

At the High Court yesterday, GillenMarkets, and its chairman Dermot Browne, claimed the company told its managing director Rory Mason it had concerns over a €14,000 bonus which it wants independently investigated.

They claim Mr Mason was not dismissed or suspended from his role during a meeting when the issue of the payment, which the firm claims was not authorised, was raised. Mr Mason, who claims that the bonus was approved by the company, obtained an injunction last month restraining his dismissal, which he claims was unlawful.

Represented by Oisin Quinn SC, Mr Mason wants the injunction kept in place pending the full hearing of his action against his employer and Mr Browne.

Counsel said that the company’s proposal regarding the investigation was not suitable as far as his client is concerned.

The defendants’ proposal was an attempt to retrofit a premeditated decision the company had already made that his client was guilty of wrongdoing and had been dismissed.

The court granted Mr Mason a temporary injunction, on an ex-parte (one side only represented) basis, preventing the defendants from implementing or terminating Mr Mason’s purported dismissal.

The court also restrained the defendants from publicising, repeating, or communicating in any form the misconduct alleged against Mr Mason.

The defendants, represented by Mark Connaughton SC, oppose the application and have asked Ms Justice Nuala Butler to discontinue the injunction.

In a sworn statement, Mr Browne said Mr Mason’s employment was not terminated as alleged. He said at a meeting on April 23 last he raised the payment, which he said was not unauthorised by the company, with Mr Mason.

He said that during that meeting he did ask Mr Mason to resign his position. However, Mr Mason was not sacked, not suspended and he disagreed with the applicant’s version of that meeting.

Mr Browne said he did not have the power as chairman to dismiss Mr Mason.

Following the meeting, he said Mr Mason handed back some company property and cleared out his desk.

He rejected Mr Mason’s claims in relation to there being a poor relationship between the members of the company’s board.

Mr Browne also said that the best way forward was for an investigation into the bonus payment to be conducted by an independent person.

Previously, the court heard Mr Mason worked with the wealth management and investment advice firm for several years.

Mr Mason, who is also the beneficial owner of 15pc of the shares of the Dublin-based firm, claims his employer has wrongly accused him of gross misconduct.

He strongly denies any wrongdoing, and claims the “accusations of theft” are “utterly without foundation”.

He claims they are a “contrived attempt” to remove him from his position “by whatever means necessary”.

The hearing continues later this month.