McDowell determined to find IRA’s estimated €200m assets
A concerted effort is now under way to target these assets, which are the proceeds of a range of crimes, including robberies, counterfeiting and smuggling.
Commenting on the raids in Manchester and in the Republic yesterday, Justice Minister Michael McDowell said: “I’m always very glad to see that the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), which work so closely together, active on the ground seeking to investigate the whereabouts of the proceeds of crime.”
He said the agencies would travel anywhere to find such assets, including those of the IRA.
“The IRA undoubtedly were operating on a number of different levels and one of them was building up a massive portfolio of assets with a view to sustaining its campaign.”
He said IRA volunteers had now been told to engage in exclusively democratic and peaceful activities.
“They can’t use crime proceeds to influence the outcome of elections in Ireland and the CAB are determined, and so are ARA and security services, to ensure those assets aren’t used to pervert democracy in this country.”
He said he didn’t, at the moment, want to link Sinn Féin to yesterday’s development: “The Provisional movement organised the Northern Bank robbery last December in Belfast and the great majority of that crime is still in the possession of the Provisional movement.
“I’m not forgetting that, or airbrushing it out of history. I’m not excusing them of that. As far as I am concerned, the fight against their criminality goes on.”
Mr McDowell had previously stated his commitment to find these assets.
Last July he said: “In relation to assets, it is our firm and fixed intention, regardless of any developments in the political scene, to hunt down any assets which we come aware of and bring them back to public ownership.”
At the time, he said security sources estimated the IRA to have about €200m invested in assets.
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