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Owners of firm paid near €20m to accommodate asylum seekers convicted of tax offences

Allpro Security Services owners Conor Nolan and Alan Connolly each fined €2,000 last June for tax offences after failing to remit employer’s PAYE and VAT in respect of directorships in other companies

Men queue outside the International Protection Office, Mount Street, Dublin, where applications for asylum are made. The owners of a company that received almost €20 million last year from the State for accommodating asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees have been convicted of tax offences. Photograph: Conor Ó Mearáin/Collins

Sorcha Pollak
Mon May 13 2024 - 06:00

The owners of a company that received almost €20 million last year from the State for accommodating asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees were convicted of tax offences.

The company, Allpro Security Services, was among the top recipients of Department of Integration payments for accommodation and services in 2023.

Company owners Conor Nolan and Alan Connolly were each fined €2,000 last June for tax offences. They failed to remit employer’s PAYE and VAT in respect of their directorships in other companies, two of which are now defunct. Mr Connolly pleaded guilty to seven sample tax offences and Mr Nolan pleaded guilty to six sample offences.

Each resigned as a director of Allpro on June 15th, 2022, three weeks before their guilty pleas at Galway Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Brian O’Callaghan. Allpro filings show company officials Rachel McHugh and Christopher Moore are now directors of the business, but Mr Nolan and Mr Connolly remain shareholders, each holding 50 per cent of the business.

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Their tax convictions in relation to other companies came three years after Allpro itself made a tax settlement of some €895,000 in 2020 following a Revenue investigation into the under-declaration of PAYE.

Allpro, which has more than 900 employees, has an address in Oranmore, Co Galway. The company describes itself as “one of Ireland’s leading facility management companies”, providing cleaning, security, pest control, sanitary and landscaping services.

The business reported a €1.34 million profit in the 11 months to December 2022, with directors paid €324,661 in that period. Financial records have yet to be filed for last year, when Allpro received almost €19.6 million from the Government for international protection and refugee accommodation.

Mr Nolan and Mr Connolly are directors and shareholders of Bert’s Properties, a company established in 2021 with an address at Upper Pembroke Street in Dublin. They established a new company, Be Rite Group, last October. Filings show Be Rite Group shares worth some €10.9 million were allocated to Mr Nolan and Mr Connolly “in consideration for the acquisition of shares in the capital of Allpro Security Services Ireland Ltd and Bert’s Properties Ltd”.

Another filing shows Allpro submitted a letter of association to Be Rite, saying Allpro and Bert’s Properties “are all part of the same group of companies and are all associated as all these companies have, directly or indirectly, the same shareholders”.

Asked about the convictions of Mr Connolly and Mr Nolan and Allpro’s tax settlement, a Department of Integration spokesman said: “Tax clearance certificates are rechecked before each invoice is paid. In meeting its obligation to provide material reception conditions to those seeking international protection, the department considers offers from any tax-compliant company, subject to compliance with statutory requirements and minimum standards.”

Asked about the tax issues, Rachel McHugh, Allpro’s director of accommodation, said: “While we acknowledge Allpro’s appearance on the Revenue settlements list, it is important to note that that publication also acknowledged that settlement was reached and the matter was finalised.”

She added: “Allpro is a company that employs over 900 employees and was awarded the relevant contracts referred to in your mail due to its expertise and experience in this sector. Allpro is widely respected for the expertise of its management and staff in such activities and in relation to other core activities provided in the State and private sectors.”

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak is an Irish Times reporter and cohost of the In the News podcast

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