A Dublin property broker was charged yesterday with fraud in relation to the sale of houses in Belfast. Mr Vincent O'Donoghue (49), Beaumont Road, Dublin, was charged at Belfast Magistrates Court with obtaining £15,000 by deception from Mr William Smyth on July 11th.
The charge alleged he obtained the money as a deposit on 15 houses in Ardoyne which he claimed he was authorised to offer for sale.
Objecting to bail, Det Const Everal McLaughlin of the RUC Fraud Squad said Mr O'Donoghue lived outside the jurisdiction and the Garda had told her it had been looking for him for eight months.
Defence solicitor Mr Clive Neville handed over a letter offering a £50,000 cash lodgement. Mr Neville said a letter from the defendant's Dublin solicitor dealt with the point about the Garda looking for him.
Resident Magistrate Mr Desmond Perry remanded Mr O'Donoghue until Tuesday on his own bail of £5,000 with a cash surety of £50,000 and said he would not be released until the cash was lodged in court.
He directed that Mr O'Donoghue report three times a week to his local Garda station at Coolock and that his passport should be handed into court.