John Gilligan refused bail after being arrested with bag of money

John Gilligan has failed in a new bid to be released from custody.

The Dublin man was detained in Northern Ireland in August accused of money-laundering offences after being arrested at a Belfast airport with a bag containing nearly €23,000 in cash.

Mr Gilligan (66) was refused bail again at the High Court in Belfast on Wednesday.

During the fresh hearing, prosecutors disputed claims that his life is under threat.

Gilligan, with an address at Greenfort Crescent, Dublin, was detained with the bag of money on August 23rd as he was about to board a flight to Alicante, Spain.

He faces a charge of attempting to remove criminal property. He has insisted the money came from family and friends

At previous hearings the prosecution alleged he had “sold up” and was leaving Ireland behind for a new life in Spain.

With bail refused last month due to concerns he could abscond, he returned to the High Court in a bid to establish a change of circumstances.

The new bid was based on newly available documents which demonstrate Gilligan fully complied with bail terms in a separate case from the 1980s.

Defence barrister Plunkett Nugent contended that his client was facing a “real and immediate” threat to his life.

Gilligan’s lawyer also argued that he has no intention of fleeing while involved in ongoing legal proceedings over a “vast property portfolio” in the Republic.

“That demolishes the case that is alleged against the defendant,” Mr Nugent said.

But denying bail once more, Judge Patrick Kinney held that no change in circumstances had been established.