The home of a man alleged to be a leading figure in a criminal gang is to be sold after the High Court ruled it was bought with the proceeds of crime.
Pascal (also known as Pat) Kelly (48), whom the court was told is “on the run”, must also forfeit a 4x4 vehicle, €11,000 from the sale of another car, and some €3,000 cash seized from the house, “Hillview”, Cormeen, Castlerahan, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan.
The bungalow, on three-quarters of an acre, was bought in 2004 by Mr Kelly for €190,000 and has an estimated value now between €250,000 and €275,000. A number of extensions and horse riding stables were added at “considerable expense”, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) claimed.
Mr Kelly is unemployed and his only tax returns were made for work as a window cleaner although he also held a taxi licence and claimed to have sold cars and scrap, the court was told.
The house was bought with a Permanent TSB mortgage for €150,000, for which there was no legitimate explanation as to how repayments were made and for which fictitious income documents were used, Mr Justice George Birmingham said. A further €40,000 cash was paid for the house from an unknown source.