CAB in Cork targets HSE drug refund claims

By Cormac O’Keeffe and Eoin English

Raids by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) in Cork yesterday mark the latest stage of a massive Garda probe into fraudulent claims under the HSE’s Drug Refund Scheme, which may have been going on for a decade and which will top €3.5m.

About €150,000 in cash in various currencies, gold and silver coins, a raft of financial documents, and safes were seized. No arrests have been made but the investigation is ongoing, with the analysis of a number of financial records expected to form a key part of the overall investigation.

In a series of co-ordinated raids and search operations yesterday morning, CAB officers assisted by local gardaí, swooped on one residential premises in a town in West Cork, and on two business premises in Cork city — one accountancy firm and one solicitor’s practice.

The target at the centre of the CAB investigation owned, at least until recent times, a company that operated a number of businesses.

The CAB searches follow an extensive investigation by local gardaí into a business person dating back many years but were triggered yesterday following a lengthy forensic examination and background checks by CAB officers.

The Irish Examiner understands that the €3.5m in suspected fraudulent claims covers a 10-year period and that the CAB investigation involved trying to “establish the extent of assets gained through fraud”.

Sources said one of the points of the searches was to “gather paperwork relating to properties”.

Officers seized about €150,000 in cash in various currencies, including euro, sterling, dollars and other foreign currencies, along with a quantity of gold and silver coins, including South African Kruggerrand coins.

CAB officers will examine if the €150,000 cash in different currencies was a means to conceal and launder proceeds of crime. Sources also said gold and silver coins are easy to transfer into other assets abroad.

At least four safes were identified and searched and a quantity of documents, including title deeds for properties, as well as computer devices, are also being examined by investigating officers.

Speaking at a briefing before the Cork City Joint Policing Committee last month, CAB’s chief officer Patrick Clavin emphasised that CAB does not just focus on the “godfathers of crime” such as those linked to drug gangs, but also conducts lengthy investigations on white-collar targets.

He said that while CAB has about 900 live investigations nationally, almost half of those are focused on targets living in the greater Dublin area.

He said there is are 16 CAB investigations underway in the Cork City Garda Division, with 10 in Cork West and four in Cork North. There are almost 70 targets of CAB in the Limerick city and county area, with just over 40 in the Co Louth area.

“There was also a perception that CAB was only targeting the godfathers of crime,” said Mr Clavin. “But if somebody contacts us with a tip, we will never require them to give evidence in court. We can assure absolute protection. All we need is a clue. We will conduct our own enquiries into their wealth or their criminal activity.”