A Spanish woman, who claimed that almost €98,000 in her luggage at Dublin Airport was a six-year-old inheritance, was denied bail on money laundering charges.
Rawan Hassan (41), a mother of two from Águilas in Spain, was arrested on Friday and appeared before Judge Paula Murphy at Dublin District Court on Saturday.
She faced strenuous objections to bail from Garda Grainne Raggett, who cited flight risk concerns.
Ms Hassan listened to the proceedings with the aid of an interpreter. Garda Raggett told the court the woman had €97,850 in her baggage when she was stopped at Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport.
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The court heard the woman claimed it was an inheritance she had received six years ago. Judge Murphy heard Ms Hassan told gardaí she was in Dublin for just one day of sightseeing and was about to head to Turkey.
She is charged with an offence under section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act of 2010 for attempting to remove proceeds of crime from the State.
Garda Raggett stressed the accused had no ties to Ireland or any address in the State. She also informed the judge the woman had a receipt showing she had gone through the airport last year.
The garda agreed the woman maintained that the money was from the family.
However, she added that the woman claimed to have €100,000, whereas the correct figure was €97,850, so she was unaware of the funds’ value.
The defence barrister pleaded for bail under stringent conditions, saying his client could, in the immediate future, reside in a hotel.
However, the application was denied, and the accused was remanded in custody to appear again next week pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Legal aid was granted to the woman, who the court was told relies on maintenance payments from her ex-partner.
