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An Irish businessman behind a luxurious R260-million residential hotel development in Cape Town built and lost a meat empire in his native country and waged a decade-long court battle against his former boss before starting a new life in South Africa.

Paschal Phelan, whose hotel venture is the first of four Claridges developments planned for South Africa, defended his controversial past, which also included starting, losing and regaining a New York restaurant designed to simulate a Mars trip.

Now he is in Cape Town and South Africans and foreigners have coughed up R200-million in five weeks to be part of his Green Point development.

Buyers are paying between R1.6-million to R17-million to get in on the deal.

At a price, buyers can secure a permanent home in the 10-storey hotel. Cheaper deals secure limited use of an apartment.

Phelan hit headlines in Ireland in the 1990s during a bitter court battle in which he claimed rival meat baron Larry Goodman had conspired with one of his (Phelan' s) partners to force him out of the company.

Goodman had accused Phelan of misappropriating the firm's money for his personal use.

But Phelan said this week that the allegations of fraud were "inventions" and were withdrawn before the court as part of an out-of-court settlement in 2002.

Phelan said he was "far from controversial" but had immense determination. "It was a tough, tough fight. I hate someone doing wrong to me and I have an Irishman's temper . . . In the end they admitted they were wrong and they paid for it," he said.

"I have been successful, but you don't always hit a home run."

The Irish Independent reported that Phelan built an export beef empire from nothing in the 1980s but sold 50% of the business to his Jordanian partner in 1987.

Phelan claimed that this former partner secretly sold shares to Goodman, in a move aimed at ousting him (Phelan) from the company.

Two years ago, Phelan's science-fiction-themed restaurant in New York, called Mars 2112, filed for bankruptcy, other reports indicated. But Phelan said this week that the restaurant had been placed under curatorship and was thriving once again.

He said he moved to South Africa with his family after falling in love with Cape Town during a visit two-and-a-half years ago.

Laurie Wener, Atlantic Seaboard and city bowl area manager for Pam Golding Properties, the agents for Claridges, said the firm had full confidence in Phelan. " He's an entrepreneur par excellence and he's an excellent marketer."

Helder Perreira, managing director of Southern Sun, which had signed a 10-year management contract for the hotel, said Southern Sun had no concerns about Phelan's background.

Sunday Times