The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr Alan Shatter TD, has today laid the Annual Report on the activities of the Criminal Assets Bureau for 2012 before the Houses of the Oireachtas. This is the seventeenth Annual Report of the Bureau since its establishment in 1996.
Commenting on the Report, the Minister said, “Again we see the considerable powers of the Criminal Assets Bureau being brought to bear on those who seek to live off the ill-gotten gains of criminal activity. Arising from actions taken by the Bureau across the jurisdiction and abroad in excess of €7.2 million was returned to the Exchequer in 2012.
‘The Annual Report provides an insight into the workings of the Bureau and highlights the advantage of adopting a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary approach to the targeting of illicit assets. The Bureau is an essential component in the State’s law enforcement response to serious and organised crime and the Government is fully committed to further strengthening its powers through future legislative reform.’
The Report outlines the activities of the Bureau during the course of 2012, in the pursuit of its statutory remit, detailing actions brought by the Bureau under the proceeds of crime, revenue and social welfare legislation.
During the year, fifteen new proceedings were brought before the High Court under the Proceeds of Crime legislation. As in previous years, the majority of the actions taken arise from the proceeds of drug trafficking. In addition, actions were taken against persons suspected of involvement in other forms of criminal conduct, notably fraud offences.
The geographical breakdown of the Bureau’s actions during the year includes both urban and more rural areas across the jurisdiction.
During 2012, the Bureau returned in total more than €7.2 million to the Exchequer. This total is broken down as follows -
· in excess of €4.8 million returned under Proceeds of Crime legislation
· over €1.9 million returned using appropriate Revenue provisions
· €393,797 recovered under Social Welfare provisions.
The Minister further commented “I also wish to acknowledge and commend the Bureau for its work at international level where, as outlined in the Report, it continues to liaise and conduct investigations with law enforcement and judicial authorities throughout Europe and worldwide in pursuit of assets deriving from criminal conduct. The commitment of the Bureau in this regard is notable and significant. I saw this at first hand when I attended the international Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Camden Assets Recovery Inter-Agency which was hosted by the Bureau in Ireland during the Irish Presidency last year.’
Copies of the Annual Report are made available in the Oireachtas Library and on the websites of An Garda Síochána (www.garda.ie) and the Department of Justice and Equality (www.justice.ie).
9 April 2014
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
The Annual Report is laid before the Houses pursuant to section 21 of the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996.
The Annual Report in respect of 2012 has been reformatted so as to provide a more improved presentation of the work of the Bureau.
The Criminal Assets Bureau was established by Government in 1996. The Bureau’s remit is to target the assets, wherever situated, of persons which derive or are suspected to derive, directly or indirectly, from criminal conduct.
The Bureau is a statutory body with staff drawn from An Garda Síochána, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice and Equality. The current staffing level of the Bureau is 71.
The Bureau is widely regarded, both nationally and internationally, as a best practice model in the context of combating organised crime.
Asset profilers trained by the Bureau continue to provide a criminal asset profiling service in each Garda Division in relation to persons or suspects operating within their area, with particular reference to those involved in drug dealing and serious criminal activity.
Currently the number of trained Garda Asset Profilers is 174 plus 19 Revenue Customs and three Social Protection trained asset profilers making a total of 196 throughout the country.
During the course of 2012, arising from Proceeds of Crime actions a total of €4.8m was forwarded to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. This money related to the collection of monies arising from the obtaining of section 4 and 4A Proceeds of Crime Orders.
In addition the Bureau obtained:
· Interim orders to the value of over €2.1 million and Interlocutory Orders (final restraint orders) to the value of over €2 million;
· Taxes and interest demanded was €12.9 million with €1.9 million collected;
· Social welfare savings amounted to over €612,000 while over €393,797 was recovered.
Since it statutory inception in October 1996 and up to 31 December 2012 the Bureau:
· Has obtained interim orders to the value of over €69million, £18,783,STG and US$6,633,049 and Interlocutory Orders (final restraint orders) to the value of over €47million, £3,080,498 STG and $6,077,710 USD
· Taxes and interest demanded was almost €213 million, with almost €139 million collected;
· Made social welfare savings of over €6.6 million and recoveries of almost €2.5 million.