The High Court has continued orders permitting the Criminal Assets Bureau to continue holding more than €1 million in cash and cheques discovered by gardai during a major cross-border search earlier this month of lands, including the residence of the alleged former IRA Chief of Staff Thomas "Slab" Murphy.
Thomas
The order to appoint a receiver to take possession of Euro cash and cheques and Sterling cash and cheques was granted by the President of the High Court Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan on March 20th last. The application was brought by CAB on that occasion an ex-parte basis (only one side represented).
The receiver was given power to lodge the cash and cheques in new accounts pending further orders of the court. The totals seized during the searches of land owned by the Murphy family were €256,235 and £111,185 in cash and cheques and drafts totalling €673,460.
Yesterday, when the proceedings were briefly mentioned, the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Jospeh Finnegan, continued the orders until the matter comes before him again in the new court term.
The orders, made under the Proceeds of Crime Act, are against Mr Thomas Murphy, also known as Tom "Slab" Murphy, Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, his brothers Mr Patrick Murphy, Ballybinaby, Hackballscross and Mr Francis Murphy, Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, and Ace Oils Ltd, with a registered office at Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth.
The extensive searches were carried out on March 9th last by the Criminal Assets Bureau assisted by local gardai from the Louth/Meath division, customs officers and officers from the Revenue Commissioners, members of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Special Detective Unit. Simultaneous searches were carried out on the northern side of the border by the PSNI.
In documents supplied to the court, the head of CAB, Detective Chief Superintendent Felix Mc Kenna said the cash and cheques were found in black plastic bags in a cattle shed owned by Mr Patrick Murphy adjacent to his residence.
Access to the shed was through a gate on a road on the Northern Ireland side of the border which opened out on to a farm complex owned by the Murphys and access from the southern side of the border was through a field registered in the name of Mr Patrick Murphy's wife, Rosemary, it was stated.
Detective Chief Supt Mc Kenna said the Bureau has been investigating the Murphys for some considerable time. He said Tom, Frank and Patrick Murphy have for the past 20 years been involved in the oil distribution industry and oil smuggling and money laundering activities.