THE Revenue Commissioners are to bring tax evasion prosecutions against a number of "high profile" people as part of a more aggressive policy which will involve a top team of 12 investigators who being trained in England.
The Oireachtas Committee on Public Accounts was told yesterday that a barrister who had practised in criminal law was lecturing the investigators. Some investigators were being sent to England which has a very strict tax regime to study the process.
Mr Tommy Broughan TD (Labour) asked if there would be high profile cases like the jailing of Lester Piggott which had brought home to the people in England the seriousness of tax offences.
Mr Cathal Mac Domhnaill, chairman, Revenue Commissioners, said that was exactly what they were talking about. They had 12 investigators and were embarking on a positive and aggressive policy to get prosecutions. They now had a special investigative branch to sort out what cases should be settled or prosecuted. The aim was to have a number of prosecutions each year, including a few high profile people.
Later, members expressed surprise when told that a case involving the seizure of 16,000 cigarettes at Dublin Airport had been thrown out by the District Court because there was not forensic evidence that there was tobacco in the cigarettes. The judge said the State could not presume they contained tobacco just because they had "cigarettes" written on the boxes.
Mr Eric Byrne TD (DL): "We have gone mad in this country."
Voice: "Did he think there was marijuana in them?"
Mr Mac Domhnaill said it was a slow process getting prosecutions. They had people building up evidence but sometimes they got bogged down.
Mr Mac Domhnaill said people were saying there should be prosecutions and they wanted to see people going to jail, but to do this extra proof was needed. "We will have to consider our position and take legal advice on whether to appeal to a higher court." They had another 50 cases pending and they would produce the forensic evidence in these.