GARDA detectives have paid an unprecedented visit to the offices of a leading Dublin solicitor's firm which represents two of the leading suspects in the Veronica Guerin murder inquiry.
Three detectives from the new Criminal Assets Bureau yesterday spent four hours in the offices of M. E. Hanahoe and Co in Temple Bar. This is believed to be the first time the Garda has used new legal powers to search the premises of lawyers, seeking details of the commercial transactions of clients under Garda investigation.
The Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, set up the bureau in June. Its members are drawn from the Garda, the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Welfare. The bureau is taking part in the Guerin inquiry and is examining the finances of the main murder suspects. The National Drugs Bureau is investigating drug trafficking linked to the main suspects while gardai in Lucan investigating the killing.
M. E. Hanahoe is one of the three largest criminal law firms in Dublin. Last year, Mr Michael Hanahoe earned £304,000 under the legal aid scheme. His brother Terence earned £195,000 and another, Tony, the former Dublin GAA footballer, earned £3,000.
The detectives arrived at the offices at 3 p.m. yesterday. Shortly after 7 p.m., they left holding several briefcases. The detectives referred all questions on the visit to the Garda press office.
A spokesman from the press office was unable to confirm the nature of the visit but said he presumed it was "to do with Veronica Guerin". Asked whether he could recall a previous such visits by the Garda, he said he could not: "That area used to be sacrosanct in the past."
At the offices, Mr Michael Hanahoe, when asked if he was unhappy about the visit, replied: "I'm only unhappy that it might be misinterpreted by people in the wrong light."
Asked if he felt the visit breached the traditional code of confidentiality between solicitor and client, he said: "I don't want to discuss it now. There will be a time when it will be addressed."
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