A convicted IRA bomber has avoided jail for failing to make tax returns. Leonard Hardy of Mountpleasant, Dundalk settled with the Revenue for €280,000.
The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday that the 53-year-old has served time in prison for bombing a British Army base in Germany and for possession of explosives in Ireland – convictions that were described as from ‘another world’ and a ‘chapter’ of his life.
Mr Hardy, who is originally from Belfast, was described as integral to the Good Friday Agreement – helping to keep the agreement on track through fragile periods.
The prosecution did not detail how much income tax Hardy failed to pay between 2002 and 2009 when his tax affairs came under scrutiny. However Judge Mary Ellen Ring noted he reached settlements with the Revenue for a total of €280,000 which he has now paid.
She also said she was ‘slightly baffled’ that Hardy is on legal aid with the consent of the DPP when he was able to settle with the Revenue for such large sums. She imposed a €10,000 fine on Hardy for the Revenue offences and gave him a year to pay.
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