CAB ‘can proceed’ on Meehan accounts

THE High Court yesterday paved the way for the Criminal Assets Bureau to apply to take over €800,000 Brian Meehan — the only man serving a sentence for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin — has in an Austrian bank.

The President of the High Court Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan yesterday said he was satisfied that the existence of an order of the Austrian Court in relation to the money does not present a bar to CAB proceeding in the matter.

It is now open to CAB to apply to the court for a final disposal order in relation to the money held by Meehan and his father Kevin in a number of bank accounts in Vienna.

Meehan had brought proceedings in the High Court against CAB and sought to dismiss proceedings for the disposal order.

Meehan has three bank accounts in a bank in Vienna. Kevin Meehan also has three bank accounts in the same bank along with another account in the Isle of Man with the total lodged in the region of €800,000.

An Austrian court had already made the money subject to forfeiture under the Austrian penal code.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Finnegan said he saw no difficulty in the court making an order under Section 4 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 depriving the Meehans of such title or interest as they may have in the deposits in Austria.

The judge said the order would transfer the estate right and title of the Meehans in the funds to the minister or to such other person as the court may determine.

The ultimate release of the funds is a matter, the judge said, which would be required to be dealt with before the court in Austria.

In May 1997, Brian Meehan and his father Kevin were prevented by a High Court order from removing or disposing of IR£640,000 in the bank accounts in Austria and one account in the Isle of Man which the CAB believed to be proceeds of crime. The order meant the father and son were prohibited from removing, disposing or otherwise dealing with the proceeds of the bank accounts.

At the time the court said it was satisfied the property was directly or indirectly the proceeds of criminal activity particularly drug trafficking.

Meehan, aged 41, a native of Crumlin in Dublin, is the only person serving a sentence for Ms Guerin’s murder on June 26, 1996.

He was jailed for life by the Special Criminal Court in July 1999 and also given concurrent jail sentence of 20, 12, 10 and five years for drugs and firearms offences.