The High Court has continued orders permitting the Criminal Assets Bureau to hold more than €1 million in cash and cheques discovered by gardaí during a major cross-Border search earlier this month of lands, including the residence of the alleged former IRA chief-of-staff Thomas "Slab" Murphy.
The order to appoint a receiver to take possession of euro cash and cheques and sterling cash and cheques was granted by the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan, on March 20th last. That application was brought by Cab on an ex-parte basis (only one side represented).
The receiver was given power to lodge the cash and cheques in new accounts pending further orders of the court.
The totals seized during the searches of land owned by the Murphy family were €256,235 and £111,185 in cash and cheques and drafts totalling €673,460. When the proceedings were briefly mentioned yesterday, Mr Justice Finnegan, continued the orders until the matter comes before him again in the new court term.
The orders, made under the Proceeds of Crime Act, are against Thomas Murphy, Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, his brothers Patrick Murphy, Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, and Francis Murphy, Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, and Ace Oils Ltd, with a registered office at Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth.