CAB seizes properties worth €15m from criminals
CAB officers seized Anfield Manor on Hazelwood Drive, Ballyspillane, Killarney in April 2021.
Over 60 properties, worth an estimated €15m, are in the hands of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) after being seized from crime bosses around the country.
The bureau targeted the incomes of more gang chiefs and lieutenants last year, with over 300 tax assessments conducted last year, compared to 250 in 2020.
The move against incomes comes as Helen McEntee, the justice minister, prepares to give CAB the legal power to name the criminals being taxed and remove the confidentially surrounding tax settlements.
The 2021 CAB Annual Report, published on Thursday, shows that as of 31 December, the agency had court orders over 63 properties, two of which were outside the country.
The total value of these properties is around €15m. During 2021, the CAB realised the total sum of €653,000 in respect to the sale of four properties.
In addition, it sold off 50 luxury watches, designer bags, and items of clothing — which were taken from gang bosses and their partners — in an online auction last December, raising over €45,000.
The report reveals that 189 searches were conducted by CAB against organised crime groups in 2021, up from 167 in 2020.
The 189 searches were conducted as part of 48 operations, exceeding the target of 30 set.
The bureau executed 370 production orders in 2021, which are primarily used to gather evidence from financial institutions, in many cases providing banking details on the “transfer of large amounts of money between accounts”.
In relation to a power little appreciated among the public, CAB can also seek court orders, based on sworn information from a garda, that “prevent specified transactions from taking place” where there were reasonable grounds it would comprise money laundering.
The bureau obtained 1,300 orders in 2021, which affected 93 targeted people and involved funds of over €5.5m.
The report said 23 new cases under Proceeds of Crime legislation were taken in 2021, significantly less than the 31 target, which was the number of cases in 2020.
It said 31 files were submitted to the Criminal Assets Section of the Chief State Solicitors Office (CSSO), but that the reduction in court cases was "primarily attributable to the increase in workload and the resourcing issues experienced by the Criminal Assets Section of the CSSO".
It also said staffing levels were not sufficient.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
