Chef due in court in connection with money-laundering
A chef from Co Cork will appear at the Special Criminal Court today charged in connection with a garda crackdown on IRA money-laundering.
The father of two was charged in February 2005 with membership of the terror group.
He was arrested after gardaí found a hold-all containing more than €94,000 wrapped up in three individual bundles.
The wads of cash were hidden in a washing powder box tucked inside the bag when a northern-registered car was stopped and searched at Heuston Station in Dublin.
The case has been adjourned several times due to its complexity. The man’s lawyers have argued that while he only faces a charge of IRA membership, a huge number of documents have to be assessed along with CCTV footage.
It is also understood a number of expert witnesses will be called during the trial.
The man’s arrest followed days of garda raids in connection with a cross-border operation to hunt down the millions of pounds stolen in the audacious Northern Bank heist in Belfast in December 2004.
It was one of the biggest thefts committed in Irish and UK history.
