Jury to retire in Collins case
Michael Collins, 66, has denied obtaining a tax clearance certificate by falsely claiming his tax affairs were in order.
He was obliged to make a tax declaration after being elected to the Dáil in 2002 under ethics legislation introduce the previous year.
The Standards in Public Office Act obliges members of the Oireachtas to satisfy the Standards in Public Office Commission they are tax compliant. Mr Collins had accrued tax liabilities of €130,602 arising from the bogus account.
He paid this sum to Revenue after he was contacted in 2003.
The case resumed yesterday after nearly two days of legal argument in the absence of the jury.
Mr Collins has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
John O’Keeffe, manager of the Kilmallock AIB branch where the Collins account was held, told the court that in 2002 the bank was asked to identify beneficial ownership of non-resident accounts.
One account in Kilmallock was in the beneficial owner ship of Michael and Una Collins.
This account had been opened in the names of Joseph and Ann Collins with an address in Surrey in 1984 and £10,000 had been lodged.
There were lodgments in 1985 and 1986, and none in 1987, ’88 or ’89. There was a lodgment and debit in 1990 and ’91.
The court heard of a transaction in February 1987 when €1,000 was withdrawn and subsequently lodged into the account of Michael Collins.
The jury in the case will retire this morning after being addressed by Judge Carroll Moran.
