FG TD wants minister to focus on Kinahan crime boss during St Patrick's Day Dubai visit
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has been urged to raise “in the strongest terms” with the United Arab Emirates the continuing residency there of crime boss Daniel Kinahan (pictured). Photo: Collins Dublin
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has been urged to raise “in the strongest terms” with the United Arab Emirates the continuing residency there of crime boss Daniel Kinahan when he visits the Middle Eastern country on a St Patrick’s Day trip.
The Department of Housing said Minister O’Brien’s visit to Dubai, part of the Government’s St Patrick’s Day Programme, provided “an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral economic relationship between Ireland and the UAE”.
In 2018, the High Court accepted the evidence of the Criminal Assets Bureau, which said that the day-to-day operations of the Kinahan crime cartel were “managed and controlled” by Daniel, and his brother Christopher, the sons of Christy Kinahan Senior, who founded the criminal organisation.
The Kinahan leadership has resided in Dubai for many years, from where Daniel Kinahan has disputed his involvement in organised crime and projected himself as a high-profile businessman in professional boxing.
This push sparked outrage in Ireland and led to public statements naming him in the Dáil in June 2020, during which then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was “taken aback” to see heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury in a promotional video dropping Daniel Kinahan’s name.
Mr Varadkar confirmed the Department of Foreign Affairs had contacted the UAE about him. The cartel boss was seen last week in a video with Tyson Fury and fans in Dubai.
Asked by the would the minister be raising the residency of Daniel Kinahan in Dubai, a spokesman for Minister O’Brien said: “This St Patrick’s Day programme provides an opportunity to strengthen Ireland’s bilateral relationship with the UAE, the host country, and with the wider Gulf region.”
He said the UAE was home to thousands of Irish citizens and was a significant trade partner in the Gulf region. “Respect for human rights is a cornerstone of Ireland’s foreign policy,” the spokesman said.
"There are many states around the world in relation to which Ireland has serious human rights concerns. Our values are a key strand in our foreign policy, and Ireland does not hesitate to pursue these concerns, by the most effective means available.”
He said: “Minister O’Brien’s visit to UAE for St Patrick’s Day will provide an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral economic relationship between Ireland and the UAE by engaging with key economic decision-makers and influencers.”
The spokesman added: “The Minister does not comment on any individual matters that are before the Department of Justice.”
Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown, Neale Richmond, said: “Ireland and the UAE have a very important bilateral relationship with trade, investment and cooperation central to this. The continuing presence of Daniel Kinahan in the UAE is a serious concern and a dark spot on the relationship between these two countries.”
He said that, as stated in Irish courts, Daniel Kinahan was the leader of “one of the country’s most vicious crime cartels”. He said: “Every image or video of him living a life of unfettered privilege in Dubai is a smack in the face to every victim of his criminal gang’s activities.
“I would hope that any Minister or individual engaging in Government business with the UAE would use every opportunity to raise the charmed existence of Daniel Kinahan in Dubai.”
Gary Gannon, Social Democrats TD for Dublin Central, the epicentre of the cartel’s murderous campaign aimed at the Hutch group, said: “The Minister should be asking in the strongest terms for the UAE to account for its relationship to Daniel Kinahan.
“These visits are important, but the Minister must not be deferential in our dealings with the UAE.
"During his time as Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar was clear that the State would be communicating with the UAE in relation to the status of this individual - Minister O’Brien now has the opportunity to do that in person and we would expect him to do so in the fullest terms.”
It follows the latest in a long line of convictions in the Special Criminal Court of cartel lieutenants and associates on Monday – that of Douglas Glynn, aged 37, from Fitzgibbon Court in Dublin’s north east inner city, in connection with a sophisticated plot, foiled by gardaí, to murder Hutch target James Gately five years ago.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the criminal organisation which Glynn assisted was particularly serious, well organised and financed. The Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau has a continuing investigation into the leadership of the cartel.
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