Tight security outside court as ‘Slab’ Murphy case gets under way

Veteran republican Thomas "Slab" Murphy sat with his brothers Patrick and Francis and nephew Aidan in the body of the court for the opening yesterday of the case against him alleging failure to file tax returns.

The 66-year-old and his siblings listened as witnesses from the Department of Agriculture gave evidence to the Special Criminal Court.

The case is being heard at the new Criminal Courts of Justice complex in Dublin, and special security measures outside the courtroom, with gardaí checking the identities of those entering and all attendees having to go through a security scanner frame.

Anonymity

Paul Burns SC, for the prosecution, summarised the case against the Co Louth man, saying a Revenue official, using anonymity provisions associated with the work of the Criminal Assets Bureau, said Mr Murphy had not made returns for the period 1996-2004, despite evidence of involvement in significant trading activity.

The court heard a Mr Murphy from Co Louth had applied for grants from the Department of Agriculture and received more than €100,000 over the period.

Mr Burns said the accused had also paid more than €300,000 in land rent and silage payments, mostly in cash and third-party cheques, and had six-figure sums pass through his hands in mart sales.

Some of the evidence came from documents seized from outbuildings on his farm.

The first witness, Gráinne Dalton of the Department of Agriculture, took Mr Burns through alleged applications from Mr Murphy for farm payments. John Kearney QC, for the defendant, said it was his client’s case that he had no “hand or part” in the applications and the signatures on the documents were not his.

Ms Dalton said the forms would have been sent out to Mr Murphy at his address in Ballybinaby. Mr Kearney said this was a townland not a house address.

Ms Dalton agreed she did not know how many houses, or Murphys, were in Ballybinaby.

More documents from the department were confirmed by other civil servants, in relation to the renting of land at Rathe, Kilmainham Woods, Co Meath and the allocation of a herd number. Mr Kearney said his client denied having had anything to do with the documents.

Some documents involved a veterinary official visiting the farm; others recorded Mr Murphy’s PPS number.

Farm payments totalling more than €120,000 were listed, as well as details of hundreds of cattle joining and leaving Mr Murphy’s herd.

The trial is expected to take three weeks. The maximum punishment, upon conviction, is a fine of €126,000 and/or five years in jail.