Ahern Publishes Criminal Assets Bureau Annual Report For 2008

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Dermot Ahern T.D., has laid the Annual Report on the activities of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) for 2008 before each House of the Oireachtas. The Report for 2008 is the thirteenth such Annual Report.

Commenting on the report, the Minister said, "In a year where organised crime continued to pose a serious threat to our communities, the Criminal Assets Bureau has again demonstrated the effectiveness of the multi-agency and partnership approach in targeting the proceeds of such criminal conduct.

"The continued development of the Divisional Asset Profiler's Programme, together with the Bureau's policy of targeting the lower value assets of up and coming and mid-ranking criminals serves to present a more visible and effective presence amongst local communities.

"The Bureau continues to work in close co-operation with foreign law enforcement agencies and develop links with asset recovery agencies in other jurisdictions in order to ensure criminals cannot use international boundaries as a means of evading investigation and asset seizure.

"On behalf of the Government, I commend the Bureau on its successes during 2008.  I have no doubts that the Bureau will continue to play a significant role in the fight against organised crime."

The Minister has also established an expert group comprising representatives of CAB and his Department to review the operation of the Proceeds of Crime legislation.

Minister Ahern concluded: "While the legislation underpinning the work of CAB has been hugely successful, I believe that it is timely to see whether the law in this area can be strengthened further. The review will look at areas such as: decreasing the amount of time which must elapse before criminal assets which have been frozen become the property of the state; increasing the powers of receivers over properties so as to immediately deprive criminals of the use of those properties; short term seizure of assets believed to be the proceeds of crime pending determination by the courts; further improving arrangements for sharing information with similar organisations in other countries and entering into arrangements with other countries where assets which are forfeited as a result of joint investigations can be shared."

In 2008 the Criminal Assets Bureau obtained interim orders to the value of over €5 million and Interlocutory Orders ('final' restraint orders) to the value of over €2.5 million, collected almost €6 million in taxes and interest and made social welfare savings of over €712,000 and recoveries of over €358,000.

The Minister said that since its statutory inception in October 1996 and up to 31 December 2008 the Bureau has obtained interim and 'final' restraint orders to the value of over €76 million and €38 million respectively. 

In the same period, taxes and interest demanded was almost €136 million, with over €124 million collected. 

Regarding social welfare payments, savings amount to over €4.12 million and recovery of overpayments amounted to almost €3 million.