Murphy’s assets frozen
Following the raids at the start of the month in Monaghan and Armagh, RTÉ reports that the High Court has granted orders freezing the assets seized in the searches, the estimate value of the property and cash is €900,000 and the court has appointed the legal officer of the CAB as receiver. From RTÉ – “The orders were made against Thomas Murphy, his brothers Francis and Patrick, and ACE Oils, which CAB says is a consortium owned and controlled by the Murphy group. CAB officers served the High Court documents at the Murphy addresses this morning.” Whether Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams will be revising his opinion of Thomas Murphy is currently unknown.. Although it’s worth pointing out that no charges have emerged yet. Update It’s not included in the RTÉ report but UTV claim Thomas Murphy’s house is covered by the court orders More over the foldThe BBC report restricts the court orders to cash and cheques seized during the searches, but values them at over €1million -
The order was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act against Mr Murphy, his brothers Patrick and Francis and Ace Oils Ltd.
The company has a registered office at Ballybinaby, Hackballscross in County Louth.
And has more details on the properties searched, and the Crimnal Assets Bureau investigation -
The head of the Criminal Assets Bureau, Detective Chief Superintendent Felix McKenna, said in documents supplied to the court that the cash and cheques were found in black plastic bags in a cattle shed owned by Patrick Murphy adjacent to his residence.
Access to the shed was through a gate on a road on the Northern Ireland side of the border which opened out on to a farm complex owned by the Murphys, the court heard.
Access from the southern side of the border was through a field registered in the name of Patrick Murphy’s wife, Rosemary, the judge was told.
Detective Chief Supt McKenna said in the documents that the CAB had been investigating the Murphys “for some considerable time”, and that Tom, Frank and Patrick Murphy had for the past 20 years been involved in the oil distribution industry and oil smuggling and money laundering activities.
Hi,
Gerry had better watch himself!
I still laugh to myself when I remember Slab being described as a “pig farmer” who “led a frugal life”. I think the comments were attributed to Adams, but don’t quote me on that.
[See commenting policy - edited Moderator]
Concerned Loyalist, you’re an apologist for the UDA. What business do you have getting upset about other people’s criminality ?
It sounds like a lot of illegal contraband has been lifted by the police. Let’s see how well they manage to make it stick – will Murphy have his day in court ?
Comrade Stalin
No doubt old Slab will be hoping his “day in court” will be more successful than his last few.
Tom Murphy will be remembered in songs and history books when the minnows who now snap at his ankles are long forgotten. Good or bad let history judge.
Mick I think you should be the bard and come up with a line or two for us…
Whatever of it all, if the highest total value of property and cash against which a freezing order was taken against a substantial piece of land and buildings in a prime location is considerably less than £1m, then that would point more to Mr Murphy’s lack of personal material condiderations. Ask any estate agent.
On this basis Mr Murphy appears a most honest man.
Reports of his lifestyle would tend to confirm this.
I doubt that any of the holding charges will get as far as trial.
The main charges so far levied against Mr Murphy in the British press seem to be that he is “middle-aged”, that his body mass is “bulky” and that he is “balding”. Oh, and I forgot, “He is Irish”.
Now that a new biopic of Pierrepoint is in the offing no doubt nostalgic memories of hanging Irishmen will be invoked. I’m not so sure it will prove fashionable.
“The main charges so far levied against Mr Murphy in the British press”
And in the Irish press, Rory, and by the Gardai, and by the Criminal Assets Bureau.. and upheld by the Irish High Court in their issuing of the court orders.
“On this basis Mr Murphy appears a most honest man.”
What basis would that be?.. the Irish jury verdict noted by the Sunday Times report of the libel trial?
I do, however, agree that he should face trial in a criminal court for the charges that have been levelled. Let’s hope he gets his day in court.
Mick Hall:
Tom Murphy will be remembered in songs and history books when the minnows who now snap at his ankles are long forgotten.
He’s a simple farmer trying to irk an honest living. What are people doing writing songs and history books about him ?
Even the dogs on the street know who Slab is. For Mick, Gerry or Rory to say such bile drivel is only Another brick in the Wall. Who do these people think we are? Stickies?
I’ve noticed that the sinn fein heads seem to be huge proponents of the presumption of innocence, constantly reminding us that republicans are innocent until proven guilty. Seems their grasp of legal matters is about as good as their taxation expertise. Mr. Murphy isn’t “innocent until proven guilty.” The presumption of innocence is purely an aspect of a criminal trial in due course of law. It cannot be divorced from this context and effectively, only exists as a colloquialism outside of this context. Sinn fein/IRA will be well aware of this by the time the CAB boys finish with them. Murphy isn’t facing a criminal trial in due course of law. He’s facing into civil proceedings, in that CAB merely have to establish on the balance of probabilities that the property seized by CAB represents the proceeds of crime. Now ,given that a jury was convinced of Murphy’s involvement in crime in the Times libel action, on the same standard of proof relevant to the ongoing CAB proceedings, it seems very unlikely that the High Court is going to decide that Murphy’s money does not in fact represent the proceeds of crime. I’d say the only way he’ll wiggle out of this one is if the CAB boys made a balls of the warrent, or some other technicality, again, very unlikely considering that the CAB boys, unlike normal cops, are under the supervision of an able legal officer. His name escapes me, it used to be Barry Galvin, a pretty decent legal eagle. Maybe Murphy will be able to convince Justice Finnegan in the High Court that money laundering isn’t a crime because emmmmm it’s only a crime when ‘good republicans’ aren’t involved. Still though, Sinn fein should be delighted in a way, since they believe that no-one should have the right to private property. Presumably, CAB are merely implementing Sinn Fein’s economic policies. I wonder if Paddy Power are offering odds on Sinn Fein returning no seats at the next election, cos I’d say this won’t be the only CAB case against Adams’ chums in the run up to the next election. Looking forward to McKenna’s evidence in the High Court when he reveals the IRA for the criminals that they are, smuggling fags and petrol, and lining their pockets. Gas altogether really, I’d say McDowell is tickled pink.
Old Slab Murphy had a farm
Tiocfaidh oh ar la
And on that farm there was a barn
..etc, etc
Frank Aiken from county Armagh fought the Brits for a couple of years and was made Minister of Foreign Affairs for his troubles.
Slab alledgedly fought the Brits for 30 years but he gets hounded by bureaucrats!!
To those who make politically motivated allegations of criminality against Slab my question is simple:
Why would a smuggler fight to get rid of a border he was profiting from?
Are you saying, Pete Barker, that the Irish press, the Gardai and the Criminal Assets bureau also deemed Mr Murphy guilty of being middle aged, bulky, balding and Irish and that the Irish High Court upheld their convictions? That is what your response to my post indicates. Perhaps you didn’t mean it.
Why do you not address the main thrust of my post which considers that given that the most value that could be squeezed for freezing out of Mr Murphy’s assets indicates that he is rather less than the millionaire smuggling warlord than the powers that be and their “free press” minions would have us believe.
I say again – I do not expect any charges against Mr Murphy to proceed to trial – any evidence, however scant, would surely have been trumpeted by now. The stark fact that the prosecuting authorities’ bagmen in the press cannot even come up with some good inventive evidence augurs ill for the prosecution.
People seem to have missed this.
…….Although it’s worth pointing out that no charges have emerged yet.
I thought people were presumed innocent.
Guess that one has gone out the window.
“Why would a smuggler fight to get rid of a border he was profiting from?”
- an excellent question Elfinto, to which I can only add: Why would people trying to unite Ireland use violence to divide it?
Perhaps we can get an answer to your question shortly after the whole of Ireland has finally received an answer to mine.
Well you, deliberately[?] mis-spell my name, while you remain anonymous, but I will respond to your accusations, Rory.
“Why do you not address the main thrust of my post which considers that given that the most value that could be squeezed for freezing out of Mr Murphy’s assets indicates that he is rather less than the millionaire smuggling warlord than the powers that be and their “free press” minions would have us believe.”
Well, because you claimed, “if the highest total value of property and cash against which a freezing order was taken against a substantial piece of land and buildings in a prime location is considerably less than £1m, then that would point more to Mr Murphy’s lack of personal material condiderations.”
When that wasn’t the claim of the reports noted in the original post – all information provided in that post, btw.
and you went on to claim that – “The main charges so far levied against Mr Murphy in the British press seem to be that he is “middle-aged”, that his body mass is “bulky” and that he is “balding”. Oh, and I forgot, “He is Irish”.”
When that is far from being the accusation levelled against Mr Murphy.
As I said, I hope he gets his day in court. I trust you do too?
Again, pol, republicans seem to think that ‘presumed innocent’ applies to proceedings involving the Criminal Assets Bureau. Under the proceeds of Crime Act, 1996, the onus is now on mr. murphy to demonstrate that the money seized DOES NOT represent the proceeds of criminal activity. under the 1996 Act, the Court may accept the evidence of the Chief Bureau officer as evidence that the property in question constitutes the proceeds of crime. AGAIN I REPEAT the presumption of innocence does not apply to the forfeiture proceedings that mr. murphy is facing into, the presumption of innocence only applies to criminal proceedings, CAB hearings are civil proceedings. It’s going to be hilarious to see the look on the Shinners faces when the CAB boys start freezing everything which relates to the IRA’s criminal activity over the past 30 years.
Rory, the reason the Criminal Assets Bureau didn’t freeze Mr. Murphy’s dwelling house is because it didn’t represent the proceeds of crime. It’s his home, I assume he can point to the fact that he inherited it, or otherwise obtained it legitimately. On the other hand, the CAB have seized assets from him which they have proven to the High Court represent the Proceeds of Crime. Your assertion that this won’t go to trial is wrong; THE TRIAL HAS STARTED, CAB have obtained an order from the High Court freezing the 900,000 they found on his farm, evidence to this end has obviously been delivered to the High Court, this is why Slab’s hot money is currently resting in a CAB bank account. Now the onus is on Slab to prove that he didnt get it from crime, which even the most devout Sinn Fein supporter knows, he is NOT going to be able to do. Then Slab will be in the same category as all the other crims and druggies that have had their assets seized, where he belongs.
My apologies, Pete Baker, I did indeed misspell your name, but honestly not by deliberation (possibly inebriation) though I can see that the misspelling I typed might give rise to suspicion. Never mind – you can misspell me “Roary” next time to even up.
Oh, and by the way, upon what charge am I expected to answer to in court? Misspelling? I shall plead “Guilty, as charged while under the influence, your honour”. Usually a ten bob fine and dismissed in my day.
“Old Slab Murphy had a farm
Tiocfaidh oh ar la
And on that farm there was a barn”
Elfinito thank you so much for being the bard and providing me with that hardy laugh!!!
I think people are forgetting here that Thomas Murphy had a legitimate oil business. Is it not possible that the cash and cheques was gained through a legitimate business and he just did’nt like using banks.
“Oh, and by the way, upon what charge am I expected to answer to in court?”
Steady there Rory, I didn’t wish you your day in court.. the reference was to Murphy’s [next] day in court.
“Old Slab Murphy had a farm
Tiocfaidh oh ar la
And on that farm there was a barn”
“A Deisel nation once again”
“the oil behind the byre”
“oil stained bandage”
“the broad black deisel”
“four green (deisel) fields”
“only our deisel runs free”
“on the one road”
Any one got any more
Mick Hall
“Tom Murphy will be remembered in songs and history books when the minnows who now snap at his ankles are long forgotten. Good or bad let history judge.”
You crack me up, you really do.
Think how funny you could be if you actually tried.
Oh, I see Pete, you trust that I hope that Mr Murphy also gets his day in court. Well, no actually. As I have said I do not believe that there will be credible evidence forthcoming to substantiate any charges. For even if Mr Murphy were a sum of all the things that are ascribed to him, he is certainly not stupid, and were he indeed a guerilla leader and criminal mastermind then he would seem to have been very clever in avoiding all charges for over thirty years. Why would he now leave evidence lying around that might incriminate him? It just doesn’t square.
Some other great people remembered and revered in song, clearly a great honour…
Stalin
Mao Tse Tung
Mussolini
Hitler
Franco
Im sure Tom wil be delighted, sure most of the money probably isn’t his anyway..he’s just letting it rest in his account for friends and he takes a small percentage.
Mick
Mick Hall said.
Quote”“Tom Murphy will be remembered in songs and history books when the minnows who now snap at his ankles are long forgotten. Good or bad let history judge.”
You may find this man, someone to look upto but it sort of destroys your image of a fair minded person.The Murphy clan are bad, through and through and made money on the backs of the people.
Martin
The real fun will start when the owners of the cheques that were recovered, are asked to explain what they were paying Murphy for – and, to produce the invoices….perhaps, they were just loans.
Further, for years it has been alleged that legitimate business’ would have to get
“clearance” from Murphy before they could establish themselves in the area (and, it is alleged, that “area” did not just cover hacksballcross). There may be a few company Directors sitting uncomfortably this morning, as the slab money trail unravels (allegedly)…
Ah did you hear about oul Tom
From down Hacksballcross Way
Who with just a shovel and a herd of pigs
Kept the Crown forces at bay
For thirty years he led the boys
In their campaign of glory
As for the cheques and euros
Well that’s another story…
Now the Cab are on the front lawn
The money has been taken
Tom Murphy’s in a bunker
And the pigs are streaky bacon!
Mick Hall
You crack me up, you really do.
Think how funny you could be if you actually tried.
Posted by untermenschen
untermenschen
I do my best to brighten your day, although with a handle like your’s, perhaps a psychiatrist might be of more help.
elfinto
nice one.
“Why would he now leave evidence lying around that might incriminate him?”
It isn’t that Slab is incredibly smart, it’s just that the area he lives in has been immune from any legal form of law enforcement for decades.
That seems now to have changed.
mickhall
The name is just a reflection of how you and many others consider people like me who are “from a unionist background”.
Good or bad let history judge
posted by Mickhall.
‘martin.’
Come on stop being naughty, what part of the above post did you not understand. Now the hounds have been sent out by the paper shovelers, are those who refuse to join the hunt against certain Republicans also going to become fair game for the pack. If so then it is a grave mistake, for if there is one lesson we should all learn from the thirty odd years of the armed conflict it is this. A good many people, whether they be Unionists or Republicans will not be intimidated into changing their political positions. If you go down this road all that will happen is people will retreat within the own tribes. How does that move the process forward pray tell.
Without the likes of Tom Murphy there would be no decommissioning etc. Fair enough if that is what you want, but I just happen to think as I am sure you do, the north is a far better place without guns and bombs exploding all over the place.
You yourself have said in a different context this is a long game, eventually most people on the Republican side have come to accept this now. For the life of me I cannot see how stamping about in hobnail boots on the Murphy farm is going to help.
I hope your well.
Bit of a catgory mistake there, Yokel, to include the two men, Stalin and Mao, who did most to destroy the triumph of Fascist imperialism in the twentith century with the main proponents of Fascist imperialism, Hitler, Mussolini and Franco.
Anway, Stalin had the best hair (and the best moustache). So there! Yah- boo-shucks!
mickhall
The name is just a reflection of how you and many others consider people like me who are “from a unionist background”.
Posted by untermenschen
untermenschen
You may feel this is how I regard you, but you would be completely wrong. I would hold my hands up to at times misunderstand and misinterpreting Unionists. I would certainly admit to making in the distant past the unforgivable mistake of blanketing all unionist opinion as one of total bigotry.
However I would like to feel this attitude is in the past and I have attempted a learning curve on this matter. For me slugger at its best has been a vital ingredient in my education about Ulster Unionism and its people. Admittedly they is much about there political position I find odd and contradictory, but that is how it should be, surly?
Sure there are Republicans who think as you say about Unionists, but equally there are Unionists who think the same about Republicans. However there is common ground and that is what needs to be worked upon.
Regards
“Stalin had the best hair (and the best moustache)”
What nonsense. Hitler’s moustach is far more famous. Even his “look at me I’m a bit crazy” side-shade is more famous than Stalin, who just looks a bit like a bad groucho Marx impersonator. (hmmm Hitler also looked a bit like Chaplin – is there a dictator – comedian conspiracy. Mao and Bernard Manning?)
Anyhow – Slab’s problem isn’t his republican credentials, it’s his (alleged) willingness to continue with criminality after it was all supposed to have stopped.
“The real fun will start when the owners of the cheques that were recovered, are asked to explain what they were paying Murphy for – and, to produce the invoices….perhaps, they were just loans.”
Anyone who would use a check to pay for illegal services or goods is really not using their head! Here’s hoping that no one is really that dumb.
There seems to be some confusion as to whether the €900,000 of assets frozen includes property. I saw the RTE news report last night and was under the clear impression that it was made up of cash and cheques both euro and sterling.
Maybe as Niall suggests this was honestly earned profit from his oil and farming businesses (presumably also fully declared to the Revenue) and because of a distrust of the banking system he preferred to lodge it into a”zero% special outside barn account” but here generally speaking if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck
Would it be expecting too much from the defenders of the Slabster to come out and tell us what they really think ie that they don’t see anything wrong in what he has been accused of doing
“…he preferred to lodge it into a”zero% special outside barn account”
That is such a good point. I let slip the “don’t believe in banks” remark which showed a while back. However, if you are dealing with that much money, and it is legal, you’d be crazy not to get some return on it. It is bad business and I think we’ve conceeded in this thread somewhere that Slab isn’t a dummy. So we have a bit of a contradiction.
I cannot believe what Mick Hall just wrote. Mick do you in some strange way equate slabs criminality, his money illegally gotten most likely, with the North being gun free? If you do are you on some sort of medication?
Lets face it, the press have linked this guy with 750K, his house and assets over 1m and you think he got that by pig farming?
You seem to think that this guy is some sort of hero that we should all look up to? It’s a free world, you can look up to him but I won/t.
This guy slab may have been a republican but his ill gotten gains prove he was only an opportunist republican, one who was in it for the status, the money, and the power he could wield over others. He was only a republican because of the opportunities it gave to him. If that is the type of heros you admire, good luck to you. For he did nothing for republicanism, except to be friends with those who have torture chambers/rooms and get money on the backs of the ORDINARY man, and god knows what else.
Wasn’t it slab who was quoted by Ed Moloney in his book a secret history of the IRA, as saying ‘we will get them (the British) to the table and then bomb the table’.?
Sorry Brenda, the old arthritis is playing me up so I cannot jump though any of your hoops today.
By the way, what do they say about pig farmers?
Mick…what DO they say about pig farmers?
mick honestly i do not know what they say about pig farmers.
What do you say, will they really sing songs about this guy and will history really be kind to him in your opinion? Do you really believe this guy is a stand up republican who helped with the decommissioning of IRA weapons? Do you have any proof he did?
Would you prefer if the CAB were not stomping around in hobnail boots on murphys farm, and let him keep his ill gotten gains? Do you not think slab should pay the same taxes and be subject to the same laws as the rest of us?
Is the hounds the CAB sent out by paper shouvellers doing wrong by checking out and freezing slabs assets? Do you really think the CAB are on murphys farm to get him to change his political opinion?
Brenda
I forget the exact details, but it takes 15 pigs approx 30 minutes to eat a human body. im told those disposing of the body must first pull the teeth out as if this is not done the poor porkies get a nasty tummy ache as they cannot digest teeth.
I suppose the lesson of this is one would be wise to be wary of anyone who keeps pigs.[just in case if you get my meaning]
Of course I am not suggesting all pig farmers feed humans to their pigs and I’m sure Tom Murphy’s pigs only eat the finest pig-swill that Ireland can produce. I’m just suggesting it is not wise to upset someone, who ever they may be, who has a human waste disposal unit in there garden.
Bit of a catgory mistake there, Yokel, to include the two men, Stalin and Mao, who did most to destroy the triumph of Fascist imperialism in the twentith century with the main proponents of Fascist imperialism, Hitler, Mussolini and Franco.
Can you explain the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact in this context, Rory ? If Hitler hadn’t attacked Russia, the pair of them may have ruled all of Europe for decades. Can you run past me what role Mao played in all of this ?
On the subject of Murphy and whether or not he will face court – the last I heard, he’d gone into hiding. It does not seem likely that he is about to contest any of these seizures. Those who are up to defend him need to explain quite precisely why so much money was found on his modest farm ?
I don’t think it matters a hoot who or what Slab Murphy is or represents because the IRA have shown their commitment to use exclusively peaceful and democratic means by giving up their weapons: more relevant perhaps would be what — if anything — our righeous Burn-again Christian Ian Paisley (among others) is going to do about the estimated 40,000+ UDA/UFF and UVF drug-dealing murder gangs armed to the teeth and currently waging a vicious campaign of Klan-style racict attacks on migrant workers and families, above and beyond the regular sectarian attacks and murder bids on taigs/fenian bastards. Ian Pailey is the founder of a terrorist group, Ulster Resistance, after all, and the litany of his inflammatory speeches of the last thirty years or more would ammount to incitement of hatred against Catholics and gays and a glorification of terrorism anywhere else in the world. So I have to wonder at the almost total lack of scrutiny of these and other such nefarious activities in these blogs…Do you reckon you could delve into this a little more, Peter, in your next blog. Baiting the like of has-beens like Slab Murphy is a little old by now, don’t you think? Or is this just another crank forum for extreme right-wing paddy-bashers and holier-than-thou knee-jerk puritan bigots?
I tell you what, Comrade Stalin, (God forgive me for colluding in such blasphemy), I will accept that you have an absolute right to feel sheepishly purist about the Molotov- von Ribbbentrop non-aggression pact and then I will join with you in celebratory awe of the Soviet people’s victory at Stalingrad and the ensuing total rout of the Nazi empire by Red forces.
As the revered Sir Jams Saville might put it, “Howza ’bout that then?”
posted by Kathy C
Hi all, I wrote my own poem about the situation that includes Murphy.
The british army did walk the land
through Irish hills and glens
except of course in South Armagh
and my favorite Crossmaglen.
It was here the brits did patrol afraid
in fear of the IRA sniper
and if the brits walked Irish ground
with their life they paid the piper.
Englands army so strong and mighty
is one of the worlds nuclear powers
yet by helicopter was the only way
they could get to their Armagh spy towers.
The queen claims Ulster as her own
but the land is not hers but Irelands
and a group existed in South Armagh
who stood and said it is my land.
To that end a symbol they sought
and they killed Lord Montbatten
don’t forget famous Canary Warf
the area the IRA flattened.
What did them in was not the brits
the story is as old as Cain
the plot and scheme to turn them in
came from some in Sinn Fein.
What held them back some in SF did reason
was not the loyalist or the brits
but the pesty IRA their fame and success
gave these politians their greatest fits.
It’s said big Murphy stopped the brit army feet
from trampling north of the border
The Collins plan added more to that
it included the Anti-Catholic orange order.
The seeds of freedom have been sown and watered
now we just have to wait
soon the day will come it’s not far off
when the Irish will overcome orange order’s hate
Murphy,McFarland, the Brendans and strong Collins
Ireland has proud fighters living and dead
it’s due to these brave Patriots
the british yoke will be shed.
written and posted by Kathy C
Molotov- von Ribbbentrop non-aggression pact
Non-aggression pact ? Are you some kind of joker ? The purpose of the pact is well understood. Stalin went into the war because Hitler double-crossed him, not as some kind of ideological crusade against fascism.
I will join with you in celebratory awe of the Soviet people’s victory at Stalingrad
Stalin and the NKVD stood behind them and put a gun to their heads, they had no choice. Quite different from the Bolshevik answer to WW1 …
The sacrifices made by the Russians were truly incredible, but I don’t get how you can use this to edify a bloodthirsty butcher like Stalin.
Kathy, I’m really confused. Sinn Fein’s supporters are here telling us that Slab is a mere farmer. Yet you’re writing poems about him and naming him alongside other prominent republicans. Would you like to explain what that’s all about ?
* . . . and, with that, the pig got up and walked away.*
You’re playing very strange games, Mick Hall.