CONVICTED drug dealer John Gilligan has told a High Court hearing relating to the seizure of his assets that he enjoyed very good luck as a professional gambler, often doubling his money on successful betting sprees.
He claims any wealth he accrued was not the proceeds of crime but instead came from gambling and other business interests.
Gilligan, who was giving evidence in a case taken by him to block the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) seizing properties from him and his family, said that as well as gambling he made other money by collecting tyres for disposal.
“But I sold them to farmers so they could use them to hold down their hay,” he said.
He also revealed he had drawn the dole and acted as a currency changer for business people in the UK and the Netherlands. However, he said the bulk of his wealth came from gambling.
He had prepared four ring binder folders for the court full of betting dockets relating to his income as a gambler.
One folder contained the winning dockets, another containing the losing bets and dockets placed by others on his behalf were also included. In one list of 19 bets Gilligan’s records reveal he staked a total of £72,710 and won £86,850, as well as his stake back, when all 19 horses won.
When asked by Mr Justice Kevin Feeney where the losing bets were outlined Gilligan said they were “in another folder”.
When some of his evidence suggested betting runs in which he doubled his money Mr Justice Feeney asked him: “Have you ever heard of any gambler making a 100 per cent profit?”
Gilligan replied: “Professional gamblers, yes.” He had not kept the money in bank accounts. He did not trust banks and the recession had proven him right, he said.
Mr Feeney pointed out that records compiled by Cab revealed that he, Gilligan, had bet £4.8 million on horse races. Gilligan, who is serving a 20-year sentence for drugs offences, said he had borrowed £4 million from a man called Joseph Sauma.
When asked by Mr Justice Feeney what security he had offered against the loan Gilligan replied: “My word.”
Mr Justice Feeney inquired if Gilligan had kept books or accounts relating to his long-term gambling record.
“You’ll know if you’re losing and you’ll know if you’re winning; it’s not rocket science,” Gilligan said. He conceded he had kept no formal record as proof of his full gambling income. “I had the money as proof, if that’s not proof enough I don’t know what is.” The 58-year-old originally from Ballyfermot, Dublin, is trying to prevent Cab taking properties from him that were first frozen by the bureau nearly 14 years ago.
The largest property is the Jessbrook house and equestrian centre near Enfield, Co Meath. Another property is a house in Lucan, Co Dublin, bought for Gilligan’s daughter Treacy, while a third house was bought for Gilligan’s son Darren.
Gilligan is claiming that because the properties were funded through gambling they cannot be classed as the proceeds of crime and so cannot be seized by Cab.
Treacy Gilligan told the court the house in Lucan was funded by her father’s gambling earnings and by a £10,000 sum from her then partner’s parents.
She was currently residing in Spain where she owned a house and pub.
The case continues before the High Court today.