A friend of Denis Casey has described the former CEO of Irish Life & Permanent as an “ethical person with the height of integrity”.

He was speaking at the sentence hearing of Mr Casey and two former Anglo Irish Bank executives who took part in a 2008 conspiracy to defraud.

Denis Casey has been sitting on his own on a bench next to the dock where former Anglo executives Willie McAteer and John Bowe are sitting.

They were convicted last month of engaging in a dishonest scheme to mislead investors and depositors about Anglo’s health.

They did so through a series of transactions between March and September 2008 that made its corporate deposits look €7.2bn stronger than they were.

John Feeran was the first of a number of character witnesses called today.

He described his brother-in-law John Bowe as a generous family man who is “truthful and “straightforward”.

Patrick O’Shea said his friend Willie McAteer always lived a modest life and wasn’t “flash”. He said McAteer was very conscious of the loss of reputation he has suffered.

Denis Casey was described as a decent and hard-working man by his friend Eamon Porter, who also said he sacrificed a lot for his career.

The sentence hearing continues.