Analysis of material seized from charity chaired by Sinn Féin TD revealed 'further large-scale irregularities', court told

Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó'Snodaigh.

An analysis of material seized in a Garda search of a charity chaired by Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó'Snodaigh resulted in the identification of “further large-scale irregularities”, the High Court was told.

This followed reports of the seizure of €250,000 worth of luxury cars, Louis Vuitton bags, Rolex watches, and jewellery worth a total of some €40,000, the charities watchdog said.

Those further irregularities included the purchase of a Porsche in 2025 and a 2026 BMW Jeep which were registered to a company called Liberty Developments.

Those vehicles were in the possession and control of a senior staff member of the registered charity at the centre of the investigation, Liberties Recycling Training and Development Company CLG.

Gardaí have also been investigating alleged suspicious transactions being routed through the charity. These comprised substantial international transfers of funds which were not commensurate with the level of activity taking place in the charity, it is stated in a petition by the Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA) seeking the winding up of Liberties Recycling.

It is claimed the Garda investigation focused on senior Liberties personnel and the suspected laundering of the proceeds of crime through the charity's bank accounts. A previous search carried out at the home of a senior staff member in 2025 resulted in the seizure of €34,705 in cash which was believed to belong to the charity.

Gardaí also had concerns about the number of vehicles which appeared to have been bought by the charity.

Its bank account, whose sole signatories are Mr Ó'Snodaigh, of Decies Road, Ballyfermot, and Liberties CEO Philip Moloney, of Stanaway Road, Crumlin, both Dublin, at Bank of Ireland Walkinstown, has been frozen by gardaí.

The directors of the charity, or trustees, are Mr Ó'Snodaigh, Linda Behan, and Brian Behan, both of Gleneaston Green, Leixlip, Co Kildare.

The CRA says that while there is no evidence the trustees themselves are engaged in the activities under investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, grounds that the property of the charity is being misapplied or that there has been misconduct or mismanagement are satisfied.

The charity's principal activities are the provision of supports for those affected by drug addiction, including rehabilitation and job training/education programmes. It runs a number of charity shops around the country and sources clothes and shoes through clothes and textile banks which are then sold through the shops, exported abroad, or recycled.

The CRA says it appears certain of its activities are operated through related but separate companies. These are Liberty CE Scheme Project Company Ltd and Liberty Global Exports Company CLG, whose directors include Mr Ó'Snodaigh and Ms Behan.

The CRA said it also became aware of the existence of a third corporate entity, Liberty Developments Designated Activity Charity whose directors are Philip Moloney Snr, and Adam Moloney, with Philip holding 80% of the share capital and Adam 20%.

Liberty Developments’ financial statement says it is involved in the buying and selling of motor vehicles and machinery, although its principal objective is the buying and selling of used clothing.

The CRA says it became aware of the Garda investigation last July, and the CRA's director of compliance began a series of contacts and meetings with the trustees, including Mr Ó'Snodaigh.

Information was sought from the trustees who stated they had understood that two of the related companies, Liberty CE and Liberty Global, were registered charities, they were now aware they were not, and confirmed their intention to correct this. The trustees wanted to continue in operation and signalled "their strong support for senior management in the charity".

Among the information provided to the CRA was that nearly €478,000 was spent on vehicles and plant machinery during 2025, which appeared to contradict replies to a question about this.

Additional fixed assets over just over €1m were acquired by the charity between 2022 and 2025. But there were no loans, lease finance, or hire purchase arrangements while the bank account was not in overdraft at the end of any financial year.

These would have to, therefore, be paid for from profits of the charity, and this did not reconcile with information given to the CRA.

The CRA says it considers the winding up of the charity to be necessary for reasons including that the engagement with the trustees demonstrated a lack of sufficient oversight and/or governance and/or control.

Since the commencement of the Garda investigation, the charity appeared to have taken no steps to protect itself or its assets from misused and/or misappropriation/dissipation, the CRA said.

Today, Mr Justice Brian Cregan appointed Shane McCarthy and Cormac O'Connor of KPMG as provisional liquidators following a one-side-only-represented (ex parte) application by James Doherty SC, for the CRA.

The case comes back next month.