A 36-YEAR-OLD Clare man has been sent forward for trial in connection with alleged VAT-related offences concerning amounts totalling €1.55 million.
Derek Floyd of Lower Main Street, Tulla, is facing a total of 41 charges relating to alleged VAT offences from a period between March 2001 and January 2004.
Mr Floyd has been charged with 12 counts of knowingly claiming repayments of VAT totalling €678,857, which to his knowledge he was not entitled to contrary to Section 1078 of the Taxes Consolidation Act on a period from April 1st, 2001 to January 7th, 2004.
Two of these 12 charges relate to individual repayments in VAT claimed by Mr Floyd of €156,136 on September 9th, 2002 and a second payment of €133,506 on June 27th, 2003.
Mr Floyd is also facing 14 charges concerning his alleged failure to remit VAT payments to the collector general totalling €880,913 between May 2001 and November 2003.
The remaining 15 charges relate to knowingly and wilfully delivering incorrect VAT returns contrary to Section 1078 of the Taxes Consolidation Act between April 2001 and January 2004.
At Killaloe District Court yesterday, Ursula O’Neill, assistant principal in customs and investigations with the Revenue Commissioners, served Mr Floyd with the remaining volumes of the Book of Evidence in the case.
State solicitor Martin Linnane told the court that the DPP had consented that the accused man be returned for trial to the next sitting of Ennis Circuit Court on October 20th next.
Defence solicitor Daragh McCarthy said his client had appeared in court without failure in relation to this case “almost a dozen times” prior to yesterday’s appearance.
Mr McCarthy applied for legal aid on behalf of his client, whom the court heard has no income.
The defence solicitor described the alleged charges as “very serious offences” and asked that the legal aid cert be extended to include a junior and senior counsel and a forensic accountant “to go through” the volumes of the Book of Evidence.
Judge Joe Mangan told Mr McCarthy that it might be more appropriate to make this application before the Circuit Court but he allowed a junior counsel to be assigned to the case.
Judge Mangan remanded Mr Floyd on bail and issued him with an “alibi warning”, which means he must notify the State within 14 days if he intends calling any alibi witnesses.