‘Slab’ Murphy on trial for tax offences

Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy

Local republican Thomas “Slab” Murphy has gone on trial at the Special Criminal Court for alleged tax offences.

The 66-year-old, from Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Dundalk, has pleaded not guilty to nine offences of failing to furnish a return of his income, profit or gains or the source of his income, profit or gains to the Revenue Commissioners between 1996/1997 and 2004.

Prosecuting Counsel Paul Burns told the court the role of the Revenue Commissioners in collecting revenue was important for the State and society, to fund schools and hospitals and pay wages and generally fund an effective society.

He said that during the period in question, the court would hear that Mr Murphy had not made any returns to the Revenue Commissioners.    

The court would hear evidence of certificates to that effect signed on behalf of the Criminal Assets Bureau.   

But Mr Burns said the court would also hear evidence from witnesses that during the same period, Mr Murphy had applied and received a herd number from the Department of Agriculture and had received various grants from the State in relation to the cattle associated with the herd number, totalling more than €100,000.

He said the court would hear evidence that Mr Murphy had also made substantial cash payments in relation to renting land and in relation to silage totalling more than €300,000 and that these payments had been made mostly in cash and third-party cheques.  

He said this indicated Mr Murphy had access to a significant source or sources of cash in order to make such payments.  

He said the court would also hear of Mr Murphy trading in cattle at various marts and he said the figures involved here were also quite substantial.  

The court would hear evidence about certain documents seized during a search of farm outbuildings, he added.

He said when the court had heard evidence in the case, it would be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of the guilt of the accused.

Source: RTÉ News.

Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy pleads not guilty to tax offences

Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy

Local republican Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy pleaded not guilty to tax offences at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.

Mr Murphy (66), of Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, denied nine offences and replied “not guilty” when the indictment was put to him by the court registrar.

Wearing a pink shirt, green zipper jacket and brown trousers, Mr Murphy was accompanied by members of his family for the 30 minute hearing.

Mr Murphy is being prosecuted on foot of an investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

The nine charges allege that he failed to furnish a return of his income, profits or gains or the source of his income, profits or gains to the Collector General or the Inspector of Taxes for the years 1996/97 to 2004.

He was returned for trial to the Special Criminal Court in 2008 from Dundalk District Court and he challenged the return at the High Court in November 2008.

The High Court found that Mr Murphy’s rights had been breached but ruled that the trial should go ahead.

Mr Murphy’s counsel Mr John Kearney QC applied to the court to adjourn the trial until Thursday. He said that there had been “rolling disclosure” in the case and that neither he nor his junior had had access to thousands of pages of disclosure.

Counsel said that the short adjournment would allow the defence and prosecution to consider issues of admissibility in the trial and this could lead to “a considerable tranche of evidence” not troubling the court.

Prosecuting counsel Mr Paul Burns SC said that there had been a lot of disclosure in recent days and he agreed that the trial should be adjourned until Thursday.

He told the court that he was hopeful that the trial could be completed within the three weeks allocated for it in the list.

Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding with Judge O’Hagan and Judge Ryan, said the court would adjourn the trial until Thursday.

Source: The Irish Times

Local businessman believed to be behind country’s illegal cigarette trade

The Modega cigarettes seized at Castlebellingham last year

A local businessman – nicknamed ‘the Jackal’ – has been identified by the Sunday World newspaper as the new ‘Mr Big’ of Ireland’s booming cigarette smuggling trade.

According to the paper, the 44-year-old is believed to have netted up to €20 million flooding the country with fake fags.

He had remained under the radar for years until an incredible brush with international terror group Al Qaeda unwittingly turned him into public enemy number one in Ireland’s war on cigarette smugglers.

When a terrorist cell attacked a ship in the Suez Canal, authorities discovered among its other cargo, a shipment of nine million illicit cigarettes bound for Ireland.

The Criminal Assets Bureau linked the haul to ‘The Jackal’ and launched a probe into his financial affairs.

The suspected smuggling kingpin has no convictions for terrorist related activity but sources say he is closely linked to the Real IRA and pays a sizeable portion of his enormous profits to the terror group.

The man is reported to have been shipping in contraband on an industrial level for years. He buys containers of cheap fags in the Far East for €20,000 and makes more than €1.6 million profit on each.

The businessman, who lives outside Dundalk with what the paper described as his ‘glamorous wife’, has been buying up properties and recently purchased more than 100 acres of land near Dublin.

According to The Sunday World, the couple are regularly spotted enjoying nights out and friends believe they have simply bucked the economic trend, having emerged unscathed despite owning retail businesses that have been hard hit by the recession.

However, ‘The Jackal’, is supposedly soon to be issued with a massive seven-figure demand from the Criminal Assets Bureau, who are trawling through his banking transactions and ‘company’ accounts.

It is understood they have linked him to major shipments of contraband cigarettes from as far back as 2008 and believe he may have been smuggling for up to ten years.

The Sunday World’s sources say he has held directorships on a number of legitimate companies which he uses as a front for his operation. But he has also hijacked VAT and registration details of perfectly innocent companies and used them to get his contraband through Irish ports.

It is understood that as part of their investigations, the CAB has contacted a number of retail stores around the country who had no idea that their details were being used to clear imported goods from Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Last year, the businessman lost a major consignment when Al Qaeda terrorists fired two rockets at the Asia Cosco cargo ship as it made its way along Egypt’s Suez Canal.

They were hoping to disrupt trade in the area and even released a video of the attack on the mother ship.

But instead, they blew apart ‘The Jackal’s’ lucrative business when investigators discovered the consignment of illicit cigarettes on the damaged ship and fitted it with a tracking device.

The cigarettes were transferred to a smaller vessel in Rotterdam, which docked in Dublin port. The Emergency Response Unit, the Organised Crime Unit, CAB and Customs watched as the container was loaded onto a truck and drove north towards Co Louth followed by a jeep.

The van was stopped at Castlebellingham and four men – three men in the jeep, along with the driver of the van – were arrested.

Although ‘The Jackal’ was not at the scene, a major probe into the consignment linked it back to him and he became a target of CAB.

He has been found to have links with, among others, Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy.

Read the full story here.

Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy to face trial on tax offences in October 2015

Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy

The Special Criminal Court in Dublin has fixed a date next year for the trial of prominent republican Thomas “Slab” Murphy on tax offences.

Earlier this month the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a challenge by Mr Murphy to the validity of a 2007 certificate of the Director of Public Prosecutions directing his trial before the non-jury Special Criminal Court rather than the ordinary courts.

Murphy (64), of Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth is being prosecuted on foot of an investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau. The nine charges allege that he failed to furnish a return of his income, profits or gains to the Collector General or the Inspector of Taxes for the years 1996/97 to 2004.

Yesterday prosecuting counsel Mr Paul Burns SC applied to the three judge court to fix a date for Murphy’s trial.

But Murphy’s counsel Mr Tony Mc Gillicuddy BL said that there were matters arising from the Supreme Court judgment that needed further instructions from Mr Murphy. He applied for a further remand.

Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding, said that the court would fix October 6th, 2015 as the date for Murphy’s trial. The judge warned Murphy that if he wished to furnish an alibi evidence he would have to furnish details of that alibi within fourteen days. Murphy was remanded on continuing bail until the trial.

Court approves non-jury trial for Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy

Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the non-jury trial of Louth man Thomas “Slab” Murphy, on tax charges.

The five-judge court yesterday unanimously rejected a challenge by Mr Murphy to the validity of a 2007 certificate of the Director of Public Prosecutions directing his trial before the non-jury Special Criminal Court rather than the ordinary courts.

While the courts may review decisions of the DPP to direct a non-jury trial, that should happen only when an accused person could advance a substantial case that the decision-making process had miscarried, Mr Justice Donal O’Donnell said.

In this case, Mr Murphy advanced no facts to challenge the DPP’s decision and his judicial review challenge proceeded on the basis of legal argument only, he said. The procedural history of this case was “unsatisfactory” and it was “entirely unacceptable” some six years had passed since charges were preferred and the matter had not yet been tried.

The DPP’s certificate indicated it was “highly likely” the reason the DPP considered the ordinary courts inadequate to secure the administration of justice “must relate to the connections of Mr Murphy with organisations which are prepared to interfere with the administration of justice”, the judge said.

A statement of reasons to the effect the DPP believed Mr Murphy to be a member of, or associated with, an organisation prepared to interfere with the administration of justice, or even justifying the non-delivery of reasons by reference to national security, would be sufficient unless the accused challenged the decision with sufficient information to undermine the DPP’s position, Mr Justice O’Donnell added.

Mr Murphy (60), of Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, faces trial on nine charges of failing to furnish tax returns for the years from 1996 -97 to 2004.

Source: The Irish Times

DPP refuses to give reason why non-jury trial is sanctioned for local man accused of tax offences

Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy

The Director of Public Prosecutions insisted at the Supreme Court yesterday that there is no obligation to give reasons for the decision to sanction a non-jury trial for local man, Thomas “Slab” Murphy, on tax charges.

The five-judge court was told by Brendan Grehan SC, for the DPP that while these were ordinary tax offences, a non-jury trial of “this particular accused” was necessary.

He was opposing Mr Murphy’s challenge to the decision directing the tax charges be tried by the non-jury Special Criminal Court rather than the ordinary courts.

Mr Murphy (60), Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, is being prosecuted on nine charges of failing to furnish tax returns for the years from 1996/1997 to 2004.

The charges, which the State accepts are non-scheduled indictable offences, were brought in November 2007 following an investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

In the High Court in November 2011, Mr Justice Daniel Herbert ruled Mr Murphy did not have the necessary legal standing to bring the challenge but the Supreme Court overturned that finding, saying he manifestly had the necessary standing.