Terror arrests in Ireland are third highest in Europe

by Michael Freeman

There were more arrests over terrorism offences in Ireland than almost anywhere else in the EU last year, according to a new report.

Some 62 terror suspects were taken into custody in the Republic – more than ten per cent of the European total. They included 57 people suspected of republican paramilitary activity and five in relation to Islamic militancy, Europol’s EU Terrorism and Trend Report reveals. The five Islamic terrorism arrests came after an alleged plot to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who drew a controversial image of the prophet Muhammad, was uncovered in Ireland in March 2010.

Only Spain and France made more arrests in 2010, though the numbers there were far greater. France arrested 219 people and Spain 118, while in fourth place the UK figure was 45. Ireland’s figures were almost double the previous year, when only 33 suspects were taken into custody.

The main other findings of the report were:

• There were a total of 249 terrorist attacks carried out across the EU, with 40 perpetrated by terrorist groups based in Northern Ireland and the Republic.
• The Real IRA and Continuity IRA “continue to pose a threat” in the UK, and have grown in size and capability in recent years.
• Ireland has a mostly successful record for prosecuting terrorism offences, with 83 per cent of cases resulting in conviction. However, the average jail penalty of five years is below the EU average.
• The report noted that Ireland had successfully implement an EU directive on money laundering, designed to restrict financing of terrorism. 
• A total of 179 people were arrested in Europe on suspicion of Islamic terrorism. This was a 50 per cent increase on the previous year, and almost half the arrests were made over planned attacks on EU countries.
• The report warned that continued political unrest in North Africa could shake up al-Qaeda affiliates and lead to them establishing a greater presence in Europe. It also stated that most of the suspects arrested over alleged Islamic terrorism were acting alone or autonomously – meaning there is no single network or organisation which can be targeted.

Europol is the EU’s criminal intelligence agency, which works with law enforcement organisations across all member states.

Source: The Journal

N.Ireland: New powers to tackle terrorist money laundering

Beefed up powers to tackle potential international terrorist money laundering are to be extended to Northern Ireland.

New safeguards allow the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) to supervise credit unions. Minister Arlene Foster (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone admitted there was no evidence of them funding global guerilla groups.

The Counter-Terrorism Bill has almost completed its passage through Westminster, with a late amendment handing extra responsibility to her Department.

Ms Foster said: "The amendments, which were tabled at a late stage in the parliamentary progress of the Bill and confer additional functions on my Department, concern the use of financial measures in relation to international jurisdictions where money laundering, among other activities, is of concern to the government.

"They represent a strengthening of the provisions contained in the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, introduced under the Third EC Directive on Money Laundering and which already extend to Northern Ireland.

"This 'beefing-up' of the provisions is required as the current powers in the 2007 regulations do not fully address issues of international restrictions."

She didn't foresee any involvement of Iran in credit unions like Ballynafeigh in south Belfast.

Alasdair McDonnell (SDLP, South Belfast) said it was bizarre that unions should be faced with this issue.

Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Fein, Foyle) added that he wanted an assurance that the work of credit unions would not be hampered.

Ms Foster promised light-touch regulation.

Source: belfasttelegraph

Ireland: 'Lawyer' Gilligan accuses CAB of money-laundering

By Tim Healy
Friday January 25 2008


Self-styled lawyer John Gilligan yesterday claimed that if he had paid a €2.5m tax bill, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) would not be seeking to take over his family's properties.


And the convicted drug dealer also accused the CAB of money laundering by taxing the proceeds of crime.

Mr Gilligan is representing himself at legal proceedings being taken by the CAB to appoint a receiver to a number of properties, owned by him and his family.

On the third day of the High Court hearing yesterday, he claimed he was served with a €2.5m tax bill while in prison in England and if he had paid it, he would not be facing legal action.

He claimed to know of 25 individuals, including Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, who he believed had been told "give us a few quid and they (CAB) will go away".

He asked: "Has that happened in this country, or am I dreaming?"

The CAB is seeking to appoint its legal officer, Frank Cassidy, as a receiver to maintain and rent out properties owned by the Gilligan family.

It believes that unless a receiver is appointed the properties, including the Jessbrook Equestrian Centre at Enfield in Co Meath owned by Gilligan's wife Geraldine, could lose value or be subjected to unrecoverable damage or destruction costs because they are not insured.

It also claims that two houses in Lucan and another in Blanchardstown, owned between John and his children, Tracey and Darren, are not well-maintained and uninsured.

The court heard yesterday that Mrs Gilligan has lived in Jessbrook since 1994 and, as far as she was concerned, her husband's income came from gambling and lawful sources, and not the proceeds of crime, as the courts have already found.

She said she still lives at Jessbrook and provided receipts for heating oil for it and for a repair which was carried out to the electronic gates. She had come up against "a brick wall" in trying to get insurance for Jessbrook because the CAB had Mr Gilligan's assets frozen.

She also claims that her daughter Tracey runs a bar in Spain but her name is on the legal documents in case anything should happen to her daughter.

Mr Gilligan, who has again discharged his legal team during court proceedings, has complained he and his family were never given a hearing in the original court application to seize their property.

Appealing

They are appealing that decision to the Supreme Court and he believes these latest proceedings should not take place pending that hearing, which the CAB disputes.

Darren Gilligan, in his affidavit, said he lived at the family home, in Corduff Avenue, Blanchardstown, and rented out a house he owns with his father, at Weston Green, Lucan, for €1,300 per month.

He was unemployed and, after paying €5,000 cost of refurbishing the house, he used the remainder of the rental income to support himself and his two children, aged 5 and 11. He had been refused unemployment assistance.

Mr Cassidy, the only person to give evidence yesterday, said attempts had been made since 1997 to have a receiver appointed to properties, but he believed they had been "successfully thwarted" by the Gilligans through various legal cases.

Mr Cassidy said that in 1997 the first attempt to appoint a receiver was made by the-then chief bureau officer, Facthna Murphy. He had expressed concern about the properties after Darren Gilligan allegedly threatened to burn one out.

The case continues today.

- Tim Healy

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/lawyer-gilligan-accuses-cab-of-moneylaundering-1273263.html

EU sues 4 member states for failure to implement AML law

The European Commission has decided to refer Belgium, Ireland, Spain and Sweden to the European Court of Justice over non-implementation of an anti money laundering directive.

The 2005 legislation tightens the EU anti money laundering regime currently applicable to the financial sector as well as lawyers, notaries, accountants, real estate agents and casinos. The scope of the directive is broadened also to encompass trust and company service providers as well as all providers of goods, when payments are made in cash in excess of 15,000 euros.

In addition, the directive requires the application of the anti money laundering tools to the fight against terrorist financing.

European Union member states are required to transpose the legislation by Dec. 15, 2007.

Source: Xinhua

Charges against National Century execs

Five former executives of failed health care financing company National Century Financial Enterprises, based in Dublin, Ohio, were convicted of all charges in a 27-count indictment Thursday. The executives and the charges they faced:

-- Donald Ayers, vice chairman, chief operating officer, director and owner: conspiracy, securities fraud, money laundering conspiracy, concealment of money laundering (nine total counts).

-- Rebecca Parrett, vice chairman, secretary, treasurer, director and owner: conspiracy, securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy (10 total counts).

-- Randy Speer, chief financial officer: conspiracy, securities fraud, wire fraud, concealment of money laundering (11 total counts).

-- Roger Faulkenberry, director and vice president of securitizations and later executive vice president for client development: conspiracy, securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, concealment of money laundering (nine total counts).

-- James Dierker, associate director of marketing and later vice president of client development: conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, concealment of money laundering (four total counts).

Irish cards blocked after data theft

Hundreds of Irish bank account holders have had their cards cancelled
after fraud monitoring systems detected suspicious transactions paid to a US-based e-commerce merchant.

The Irish Payment Service Organisation (IPSO) says monitoring systems began picking up unusual activity on consumer card accounts a couple of days ago, with small payments of between EUR1 and EUR2 made to the US site.

The IPSO says these low value transactions alerted monitors to possible 'test sales', which are used by criminals to confirm that stolen card details are still valid.

Fraudsters normally then use the validated card numbers to purchase high value goods which can be sold on quickly for cash.

However, in this case fraud monitoring systems picked up the activity and the cards were blocked, meaning a "major fraud problem" was avoided, says the IPSO.

The stolen card details are thought to have come from a retailer's database. The IPSO says it is investigating the matter and has not yet established how criminals obtained the data, although it could have been collected by a member of staff or hacked.

Banks are contacting affected customers and reissuing cards, although some people may have been declined at the point of sale yesterday, says IPSO.

The theft comes to light days after US authorities indicted an international criminal gang thought to be responsible for the theft and sale of over 40 million credit and debit card numbers that were hacked from the computer systems of nine major US retailers.


Source: FinExtra

EU targets 15 states over money laundering rules

BRUSSELS, June 5 (Reuters) - Fifteen European Union states including financial centres Germany and France have been given a final warning for failing to update their rules aimed at choking off finance for terrorist activities, the bloc's executive said.

"If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice," the European Commission said in a statement on Thursday.

EU countries were obliged to introduce an updated version of the bloc's anti-moneylaundering rules by December last year.

The warnings were sent to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Slovakia.

The rules apply to the financial sector, lawyers, notaries, accountants, real estate agents, casinos, trusts and company service providers.

The scope also extends to all providers of goods when payments are made in cash over 15,000 euros ($23,140).

Under the rules, a company would have to identify and verify who they are dealing with, report suspicions of moneylaundering or terrorist financing to the public authorities, and ensure personnel are properly trained.



http://www.finance.cz/zpravy/finance/171673-update-1-eu-targets-15-states-over-moneylaundering-rules/

Money-laundering offences rise 10 per cent to all-time high

By Ian Kehoe

The number of suspected money-laundering offences in Ireland rose by about 10 per cent to an all-time high last year, according to new figures.

More than 12,000 instances of suspected money-laundering and tax evasion were reported to the authorities last year by banks, financial institutions and designated professions, including tax advisers and accountants.

According to the Revenue Commissioners, 32 of the reports are relevant to ongoing criminal investigations in tax and duty cases.

The Revenue Commissioners and the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation liaise jointly on these reports.

More than 10 per cent of all the reports last year led to full investigations, while about 5 per cent related to the suspected financing of terrorism.

Under Irish law, financial institutions and a number of professions (including tax advisers, solicitors, accountants and auctioneers) have to submit a report to the Garda and the Revenue Commissioners if they suspect unusual behaviour.

Gardai and tax officials meet once a month to review new cases and emerging trends.

While the gardai have responsibility for investigating money-laundering by criminals, the Revenue is charged with pursuing tax evasion and commercial smuggling.

A 2006 report on Ireland by the FATF, an international anti-money laundering initiative, found that criminals were laundering money through credit institutions, money remittance companies, solicitors, accountants and second-hand car dealerships.

The report said money launderers were exploiting significant holes in the financial sector, and that anti-money laundering guidance in a number of key areas was ‘‘not enforceable by law, regulation or other means’’.

http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=IRELAND-qqqm=news-qqqid=32612-qqqx=1.asp

St Kitts-Nevis to make money laundering an extraditable offence

Lawmakers in St Kitts and Nevis are expected to approve a minor amendment to the Proceeds of Crime Act, making money laundering an extraditable offence.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr Denzil Douglas will seek legislative approval on Thursday to ensure that St Kitts and Nevis is not a safe haven for persons who perpetuate offences of this type.

The Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) No. 3 Bill, 2008 is one of two bills in the name of the Minister of Finance.

The other is the Money Services Business Bill, 2008, which was given its first reading on June 18.

It seeks to make provisionsfor the licensing and regulation of the business of the transmission of money or monetary value in any form. Cheque cashing, currency exchange and the issuance, sale or redemption of money orders or traveller’s cheques as well as the business of operating as an agent or franchise holder of any of these businesses.

Acing Minister of National Security, Immigration and Labour, Dr Earl Asim Martin will seek to amend the Anti-terrorism Act by providing a definition for the term “forfeited property.”

It will mean assets of every kind whether tangible or intangible, movable or immovable, however acquired and legal documents or instruments in any form including electronic, or digital, evidencing title to or interest in such assets including but not limited to bank credits, travellers cheques, bank cheques, money orders, shares, securities, bonds, drafts, letters of credit.

Another amendment also provides for the imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or a fine of one hundred thousand dollars or both for a person convicted of knowingly committing, conspiring or attempting, incites another, aids, abets, facilitates, counsels or procures the commission of the offences under the Act.

Martin will also seek the approval of the National Assembly to amend the Immigration Act of 2002 by waiving the visa "requirement for member countries of the European Union” other than the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth, Social and Community Development and Gender Affairs, Sam Condor will have read a first time the Non-Governmental Organisation Bill 2008, which will regulate the operation of non-governmental organisations in St Kitts and Nevis.

Source: Caribbeannetnews

What happened to the rush of anti-money laundering recruitment?

by Paul Clarke

Ireland has been dragging its heels over the implementation of the 3rd EU Money Laundering Directive for some time now. However, with D-day expected sometime in the second quarter of this year, you would have thought that domestic institutions would start stocking up on staff in this area. Unfortunately not.

In October last year, Ireland was referred to the European Court of Justice for its delay in implementing the directive, which had a deadline of December 2007.

In anticipation of the law, financial firms in Ireland were recruiting anti-money laundering experts throughout 2008, but now it seems they’re unwilling to make many new hires.

“In the past quarter recruitment in this particular area has slowed down, as budgets are under increasing pressure and recruitment freezes are implemented,” says Suzanne Feeney, consultant in the legal and compliance division of Robert Walters.

Peter Oaks, director of Compliance Ireland, suggests that there’s been a “cautious increase in focus” on AML issues by domestic financial institutions who are weighing up compliance duties against keeping one eye on expenses.

“Because the Irish Financial Regulator doesn’t currently have the authority to take legal action over AML non-compliance, a lot of domestic institutions have not taken it as seriously as they possibly should. However, they have to get it right as the regulator will have those powers very soon,” he says.

The fact that the majority of Irish financial firms are finding it near impossible to get permanent headcount sign-off means that any AML hiring is currently being done on a contract basis, says Feeney.

However, Oaks suggests that they could be looking to cut corners even more.

“We’re finding that rather than taking on an anti-money laundering reporting officer, a number of firms are employing an administrator and then informing them that AML due diligence will be part of their duties,” he says.

Source: eFinancialCareers

Organized Crime Embraces Film Piracy; Terrorists May Follow, Report Says

By Matthew Harwood

Film piracy by organized crime is flourishing worldwide, with some of the proceeds possibly financing terrorism, according to a new report from the RAND Corp. financed by the Motion Picture Association.

“If you buy pirated DVDs, there is a good chance that at least part of the money will go to organized crime and those proceeds fund more dangerous criminal activities, possibly terrorism,” said RAND’s Greg Treverton, the study’s lead author.

The criminal organizations that traffic pirated DVDs span the globe and often have multinational criminal connections. The report tells of one Italian crime boss turned government witness who explained the his organization's connection to Chinese and Taiwanese criminal gangs involved in film piracy and other acts of counterfeiting.

“Given the enormous profit margins, it’s no surprise that organized crime has moved into film piracy,” said Treverton.

The profits associated with film piracy are astounding, outperforming revenue generated from both Iranian heroin and Colombian cocaine. In Malaysia, a pirated DVD costs 70 cents to make and sells on a corner in London for $9, more than 1,000 percent markup.

The report also discusses three groups that have used film piracy to finance terrorism. The best-documented case involves the Irish Republican Army, which used film piracy among other criminal activities, to fund its terrorist campaign against the British government. Another case involves the D-Company, an Indian criminal group heavily involved in film piracy. In 1993, the group carried out a string of bombings on what became known as “Black Friday” in Mumbai, killing 257 people and wounding hundreds more.

The third example has the most relevance today.

In 2004, the U.S. government labeled DVD pirate and counterfeiter extraordinaire Assad Ahmad Barakat “a specially designated global terrorist” for transferring $3.5 million to Hezbollah. His criminal network operates within the heavily Lebanese tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, in what RAND calls “most important center for financing Islamic terrorism outside the Middle East.” (For more on the connection between Islamic extremism, terrorist financing, and the tri-border region, see John Barham's "Hezbollah's Latin American Home," from the Feb. 2008 issue.)

RAND notes the boom in film piracy is directly linked to weak penalties when someone is caught and convicted, which is rare.

An individual convicted of selling counterfeit products in France can expect a maximum of two years in prison and a $190,000 fine compared to ten years in prison and a fine of $9.5 million if caught selling drugs. In the United States, 134 people were sentenced to federal prison for intellectual property crimes in 2002, while 1.5 million people were arrested for drug offenses nationwide in 2003.

If governments worldwide want to decrease the volume of counterfeited goods and cut off a possible avenue of terrorist financing, RAND recommends spending more money and manpower to address the problem while passing tougher penalties for those convicted of counterfeiting and other intellectual property crimes.

Source: Security Management

New law targets gang funds and terror financing

TOUGHER and wider ranging measures to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing have been approved by the Government.

New legislation to be announced by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern today will beef up existing controls and extend their scope to include dealers selling high-end goods.

And the measures will also apply to drug barons and organised crime bosses who attempt to conceal their cash hoards outside the State, the Irish Independent learned last night.

A special monitoring unit will be set up by the Department of Justice to keep watch on sales involving cash receipts of at least €15,000 and the legislation will apply to jewellers, art and antique dealers and car and boat salesmen, among others.

Already covered by money-laundering laws are officials of financial institutions, such as banks, building societies and credit unions, lawyers, accountants, estate agents and tax advisers.

Under the new criminal justice bill there will now be an additional onus on them to identify customers at the start of their transactions, as well as report suspicious dealings to the gardai and the Revenue Commissioners.

Private members' gaming clubs, such as casinos, will be included in money-laundering law. These will also be monitored by the department.

Mr Ahern said last night that the Government had given approval for priority consideration of the bill by the Dail and the Seanad in the autumn session.

- Tom Brady Security Editor

Source: Independent

Police arrest 32 across Europe in Irish gang crackdown

The arrests in Britain, Spain and Ireland were aimed at a gang which Irish police, who are trying to clamp down on organized crime, suspect of drugs and weapons deals and money laundering.

Irish police, who have been monitoring the alleged gang for some time, said they had arrested one man and had searched 17 premises in the morning operation.

British police said 32 people had been arrested in simultaneous raids, including nine men and two women in the United Kingdom.

They said 20 people were arrested in Spain, among them the man believed to be the head of the network, a 53-year-old Irish-born British national living in Malaga.

"This network has been offering a global investment service, plowing hundreds of millions of pounds of dirty cash into offshore accounts, companies, and property on behalf of criminals," Britain's Serious and Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) said in a statement.

The head of Ireland's Garda National Drugs Unit, Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Quilter, said drugs, cash and guns had been found in the operation, which involved 750 law enforcement officers.

"Across the three jurisdictions, money, firearms and drugs have been located," he told national broadcaster RTE.

Irish cities, such as Limerick in the west, have long suffered from gang violence, drug trafficking and money laundering -- activities that often sustain the paramilitary groups operating in Northern Ireland, a part of the UK.

(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Padraic Halpin; additional reporting by Kylie MacLellan in London; editing by Steve Gutterman)

Source: Reuters

Former bank manager held in fraud investigation

A former manager at the Newry branch of First Trust bank is reportedly being questioned in connection with a police investigation into alleged fraud and money laundering.

The BBC says the man and his wife were arrested in Silverbridge, Co Armagh, on Tuesday.

Another 52-year-old man was also detained in Keady, Co Armagh, as part of the investigation.

The arrests reportedly follow a 16-month investigation by the PSNI's Organised Crime Branch.

As part of the investigation, PSNI officers and Gardai seized a large amount of documents and equipment during raids on properties in Armagh, Tyrone, Monaghan and Louth.

Source: Belfast Telegraph

Europol: Bulgaria Has Key Role in Synthetic Drugs Trafficking

The traffic of heroin is the main criminal activity in the so-called South East criminal hub in Europe, according to the Europol Report.

Europol, or the European Police Office, released their Europol Organized Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA) in which the criminal activities on the old continent are divided in five hubs where the hub is a conceptual entity that is generated by a combination of factors such as proximity to major destination markets, geographic location, infrastructure, types of organized crime groups and migration processes concerning key criminals or organized crime groups in general.

The OCTA is an assessment of current and expected trends in organized crime affecting the EU and its citizens. Based on analysis Europol assess that the most significant criminal sectors now are drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration, fraud, counterfeiting and money laundering.

Bulgaria falls within the South East hub where the “Balkan route” from Turkey to the EU is used for heroin traffic by Turkish criminals, often in cooperation with Bulgarian crime groups.

“The South East criminal hub is based upon its geographical location between Asia and Europe. Logistically, the importance of the Black Sea and related waterways define the hub and will create opportunities for both legal trade and organized crime. Opiates reach Europe through the Balkan routes and the Northern Black Sea route across Central Asia and Russia. The significance of the port of Constanta in cocaine traffic is growing, and cocaine seems to be increasingly arriving into the EU via Turkey and/or the Balkans. This may also be the effect of the already well-established role of West Africa as a transit zone,” the report reads.

Bulgarians and Serbians also play key role in the traffic of synthetic drugs to the Middle East. Nigerian criminal groups, residing in Bulgaria, are in constant touch with such Nigerian groups in Italy providing cocaine for the Italian market, Europol notes.

In addition to synthetic drugs Bulgaria plays a key role in the distribution of counterfeit EUR bills and fake bank debit and credit cards.

The Southeastern hub is also very active in cigarettes contraband from the Ukraine and Moldova to the EU. In addition, the Ukraine is a transit center for cocaine, human trafficking and illegal immigrants through Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Monte Negro and Macedonia to the EU.

The other hubs are:

1) The North West criminal hub. It is a distribution centre for heroin, cocaine, synthetic drugs and cannabis products. Its influence extends to the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany and the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.

2) The South West criminal hub. The impact of this market is felt especially in the criminal markets of cocaine, cannabis, trafficking in human beings and illegal immigration. West and North West Africa as well as other parts of this continent have emerged as significant feeders for either the South West criminal hub or, increasingly, directly to important markets and distribution centers in the EU.

3) The North East criminal hub. This area is and will continue to be strongly influenced by feeders and transit zones located just outside the eastern EU borders (the Russian Federation/Kaliningrad, the Ukraine and Belarus). Illicit flows may be traced from the East towards the West (women for sexual exploitation, illegal immigrants, cigarettes, counterfeit goods, synthetic drugs precursors and heroin) but also vice versa (cocaine and cannabis products).

4) The Southern criminal hub. The role of this hub is central in relation to cigarette smuggling, the smuggling and distribution of counterfeit products and the production of counterfeit EUR bills.

Source: Novinite

Date set for IRA money laundering trial

The Special Criminal Court has fixed a date next month for the trial of a Cork chef arrested last year as part of a garda investigation into IRA money laundering.

Father-of-two Don Bullman (aged 31) of Fernwood Crescent, Leghanamore, Wilton, Co Cork was charged in February last year with membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on February 16, 2005.

Today Bullman’s counsel Mr Conor Devally SC applied to the court to fix January 23 as the date for his trial.

Prosecuting counsel Mr George Birmingham SC said that date was acceptable to the State.

Last year during a bail hearing, Detective Superintendent Diarmuid O' Sullivan of the Special Detective Unit said that gardaí had found a bag containing a Daz box containing more than €94,000 wrapped in three individual wrappings of €30,000 each when Bullman was arrested at Heuston Station in Dublin in a northern registered jeep.

The Detective Superintendent said during that hearing that Bullman was "a central individual" to the activities of the IRA prior to February 16, 2005 and that activity was "a money laundering operation for the IRA, in which he is central".

Bullman was remanded on continuing bail until his trial on January 23.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=152394900&p=y5z3954z5&n=152395502&x=

No money-laundering charges two years after bank raid

By Caroline O’Doherty

No decisions on charges against suspects investigated for money-laundering as part of the probe into the Northern Bank raid are expected for another year.

As the second anniversary of the £26.5 million (€39m) Belfast robbery approaches this Wednesday, it has emerged the garda file on the investigation only went to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in recent weeks.

One of the biggest files compiled by gardaí, it runs to over 10 volumes and many thousands of pages of witness statements, surveillance reports and forensic data.

It focuses on five individuals whom detectives believe were involved in attempts to launder the stolen money through businesses in the south and various investment channels.

Some media reports earlier this year incorrectly stated that the file was already with the DPP, whose task it is to decide which suspects, if any, should be charged and with what offences.

Superintendent Kevin Donohue of the Garda Press Office, however, said work on the file had only recently been completed by gardaí and that there was still information being sought from their counterparts in the North.

“I can confirm that a substantial file has been submitted to the DPP a number of weeks ago and that within that file the gardaí have made recommendations in respect of a number of people, and that a number of inquiries remain outstanding with the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) and are being dealt with within the mutual assistance agreements,” Supt Donohue said.

Any additional information received from the PSNI will be added to the files already with the DPP who is not expected to be in a position to conclude his deliberations until well into the latter half of next year.

An IRA gang of up to 30 members is believed to have been responsible for the raid on December 20, 2004, but despite garda and PSNI investigations, just three people have been charged in the North in connection with the robbery and they have not yet been sent forward for trial.

In the Republic, one man is awaiting trial but only on a charge of membership of the IRA. No one has been charged with what gardaí believe was a highly sophisticated attempt to launder the stolen money.

Less than £3m (€4m) of the money is believed to have been recovered.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=21069-qqqx=1.asp

MEP concerned at failure to recover Northern Bank cash

It is "absolutely extraordinary" that the £26.5m sterling (€39 million) Northern Bank robbery cash has not been recovered after nearly two years, an Irish MEP said today.

Dublin politician Eoin Ryan also queried if political parties like Sinn Fein have profited from the Belfast heist - one of the biggest in British history.

The audacious December 20th, 2004 crime, which police blamed on the IRA, sparked a massive cross-border investigation into illegal cash laundering.

Mr Ryan said today: "Thirty-odd million was stolen and practically none of it has been recouped and practically nobody has been charged with it - and it's gone."

"The idea that it can suddenly disappear... where is it going? Where is that (€39 30 million. Is it going to be put into use in electoral purposes for political parties or where is it gone?

"It is absolutely extraordinary. It was a story that was massive at the time and now people have forgotten about it," he told Dublin-based Newstalk Radio.

A two-year investigation by the PSNI and the Garda has resulted in several arrests and raids on properties north and south.

Small quantities of cash believed to be from the robbery were found at various locations including a PSNI country club in Belfast and at a house outside Cork city.

Sinn Fein and the IRA have both denied any involvement in the raid, during which armed men kidnapped Northern Bank staff to gain access to vaults at its central Belfast headquarters.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2006/1217/breaking16.htm