A 71-year old man has been jailed for obstructing the work of the Criminal Assets Bureau.
Thomas McGrath, from Terenure, in Dublin, was jailed for two days after he admitted hiding a file in a photocopier when members of the CAB raided Binchy’s Solicitors in Dublin last year.
The file was discovered during the two-day search and McGrath, the then office manager was interviewed and admitted to hiding the file. He later pleaded guilty to obstructing the course of justice and was sentenced to three days in prison.
The sentence was appealed by his solicitor, Mr Michael Staines, who said the crime was out of character and that the accused was now retired. The judge said it was a serious matter and sentenced him to two days in prison after taking the several hours McGrath had spent in custody into account.
The raid was conducted as part of an investigation into planning deals in West Dublin involving former County Manager Mr George Redmond and businessmen Mr Jim Kennedy and Mr Charlie Duffy.