The father and an uncle of Mr Brian Meehan, the Dublin man accused of murdering the journalist Veronica Guerin, appeared before the Special Criminal Court yesterday on charges relating to money-laundering offences.
The court heard that similar charges were struck out by the District Court 18 months ago and that Mr Meehan's father, Kevin, is due to give alibi evidence at his son's trial next month.
Mr Kevin Meehan (59), of Stan away Road, Kimmage, Dublin, was charged with seven offences alleging that he handled sterling bank drafts totalling £165,738.04 and IR£4,000 in cash, knowing that the money was the proceeds of drug-trafficking or other criminal activity.
Brian Meehan's uncle, Mr Thomas Meehan (50), of Dunmore Park, Ballymount, Dublin, was charged with nine offences alleging that he handled sterling drafts and cheques worth a total of £193,873.34 and cash and a cheque worth IR£99,720, knowing that the money was the proceeds of drug-trafficking or other criminal activity, on various dates in February, March, August and September, 1996.
The charges also allege that he removed the money from the State to assist in the avoidance of prosecution or the making of a confiscation order. A detective inspector from the Criminal Assets Bureau, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, gave evidence of arresting Kevin Meehan at 9.25 a.m. yesterday on warrants issued by the Special Criminal Court on Thursday.
Cross-examined by Mr Meehan's counsel, Mr Michael O'Higgins BL, the inspector said that he received instructions by telephone from the Director of Public Prosecutions on Wednesday to arrest him. He said that Mr Meehan had been charged with similar offences in May 1997, but the offences were struck out by the District Court in September 1997. Since then, information had been obtained from outside the jurisdiction relating to a bank account in Vienna.
Mr O'Higgins told the court that the State had been informed at 11 a.m. on Wednesday that his client would be giving alibi evidence for his son, Brian, at his trial for the murder of Veronica Guerin, due to begin on June 2nd.
He asked if it was pure coincidence that the DPP also decided on Wednesday to charge his client. The inspector said he had no knowledge that Mr Meehan was to be an alibi witness for his son. He also said he had no idea why members of the media were present in the court for what was "a routine charging outside of the normal court sitting time". The inspector denied that the media were tipped off by gardai.
Det Insp Terry Maginn, of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, told Mr O'Higgins that she had been in contact with the DPP over the past five or six weeks in relation to the charges now before the court. She said that she had obtained an envelope containing written directions from the DPP in relation to bringing charges at 10 a.m. on Thursday and had spoken to the DPP on Wednesday and Thursday. She was aware that Mr Meehan had indicated that he would give evidence at the trial of his son, Brian, that at the time of the Veronica Guerin murder he was in a yard where his father worked in Pimlico.
The inspector said that she worked in the money-laundering unit of the Bureau of Fraud Investigation and worked very closely with the Criminal Assets Bureau. She gave evidence of arresting Mr Thomas Meehan at his home at 6.40 a.m. yesterday.
Mr O'Higgins told the court that it was a "matter of grave concern" for his client that the media appeared to have been tipped off that he was to be charged at the Special Criminal Court.
The court fixed bail terms for both men at a cash lodgment or independent surety of £20,000 on condition that they report twice weekly to a Garda station. The court ordered that 48 hours' notice must be given to the Garda of proposed sureties and remanded both men in custody until June 15th next.