HORSES, vehicles and other assets from the equestrian centre in Co Kildare run by Mr John Gilligan and his estranged wife, Geraldine, will be sold almost immediately, it is understood.
Mr Gilligan is being detained in England on drug trafficking, charges. He was arrested at Heathrow with £330,000 in his possession.
Gardai from the Criminal Assets Bureau have also started legal proceedings to prevent the sale of a house in Lucan belonging to the Gilligans' daughter, Tracey. The house, in the Willsbrook estate, is valued at about £100,000.
Ms Tracey Gilligan is registered for social welfare benefits and is not thought to have a job. She drives a 1996 Toyota Carina, a car worth £14,000 new.
Gardai are also examining the financial position of the Gilligans son, Darren, who lives in a house worth about £140,000, also in Lucan. He drives two cars, one a four wheel drive and the other a Honda Civic.
Proceedings are also under way for the seizure of a racehorse, owned by the Gilligans but under training in England.
Two vanloads of equipment and 10 ponies and horses provisionally valued at more than £100,000 were seized at the Jessbrook Equestrian Centre two weeks ago. They are due to go on the market almost immediately.
An estimated £1.7 million was spent in developing the equestrian, centre over the past two years. The State has lodged, a tax demand against the Gilligans for £1,147,000.
No details were available yesterday as to how the animals and other assets would be sold. It is assumed that they will be auctioned.
A luxury all terrain vehicle, a new JCB digger (both worth around £30,000) and a site dumper worth more than £10,000 were seized during the raids by gardai and officers appointed by the County Sheriff. Disposal of the assets is the work of the Sheriff's office.
The disposals follow the High Court refusal to continue a temporary injunction preventing the CAB disposing of the properties seized.
Yesterday's application by Mrs Gilligan was for two interlocutory injunctions until a full hearing of the action at a later date.
Giving judgment, Mr Justice Geoghegan said the first injunction sought was to restrain the disposal of seized assets, including ponies, articles of furniture and other objects of sentimental value.
The second injunction sought was to direct the return to Mrs Gilligan of all goods seized on an undertaking by her not to dispose of them without court approval pending the hearing of the action.
The judge said the process arose out of the 1996 Criminal Assets' Bureau Act, and in particular from an assessment made by the newly appointed inspector of taxes following the passing of the Act.
Mr Justice Geoghegan said that granting only the first injunction would present very real difficulties for the sheriff as the assets would have to remain in his hands, with the attendant problems of holding the live animals.
If the second injunction were granted, there would be a substantial risk that the assets would be dissipated.
He could not blind himself to the fact that the monies, the subject matter of the assessment, were alleged, at least, to have arisen from criminal activities.
The judge said that, if there was no injunction, the sheriff would go ahead and dispose of the assets.
Mr Patrick Hunt, counsel for Mrs Gilligan, asked for a stay on the judge's decision for 24 hours so that they could go to the Supreme Court. The judge said he would not put a stay on his, refusal.