Suspect in international fraud scheme released without charge

A man described as a major figure in an international fraud scheme has been released without charge after questioning by gardaí.

The man was arrested at a house in a rural part of Co Leitrim yesterday morning.

The 49-year-old was detained by teams from the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation (GBIF) and the Criminal Assets Bureau.

The arrest was part of an ongoing investigation into a €4 million investment fraud and “related money laundering”.

As part of this operation, GBIF has frozen a “significant amount” of monies held in various bank accounts.

The man arrested was born in the UK but grew up in Ireland. A senior Garda source described him as being involved in "major international, transnational fraud".

“The money is being seized at the moment,” said the source. “He is heavily involved in creating false documentation in order to obtain monies. He’s a person with particular expertise in providing this type of documentation.”

The Garda investigation was carried out in conjunction with a number of other European and international law enforcement agencies and involved expert officers in the sphere of online and electronic communications.

“This type of stuff by its very nature is not limited to one country – it goes all over the world. All this is transferred electronically, through computers and all sorts of means. This is done expeditiously and under false names and identities,” the source said.

"The operation was therefore carried out with a number of other international agencies in Europe, including Interpol, and the respective countries in which some of these frauds may have been perpetrated in."

The arrest was described as the culmination of a “long and complex” process for the Garda. “A considerable amount of time is put in before you get to the arrest stage because you have to get all the documentation, decipher what’s true and what’s not true, and who’s involved,” the source said.