The Director of Public Prosecutions v Richard Kinsella

Amount Forfeited

€17,500

Court Date

3 February 2015

Venue

Wexford Circuit Court

Judge

Alice Doyle

Summary

On 3 February 2015 Wexford Circuit Court ordered the forfeiture to the Exchequer of cash amounting to €17,500 pursuant to Section 39, Criminal Justice Act 1994, as amended by Section 21, Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act 2005, on the grounds that it was proven on the balance of probabilities to represent the proceeds of crime, or was intended for use in criminal conduct. On 24 July 2014 Revenue Enforcement Officers at Rosslare Europort seized and detained the cash from Richard Kinsella who had arrived on a car ferry from Cherbourg, France.

Following an investigation by Revenue's Investigations and Prosecutions Division, a file on the matter was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions who ordered the forfeiture proceedings.

The cash was found vacuumed packed and concealed in the dash board of the vehicle in which Mr Kinsella was a passenger. Mr Kinsella claimed ownership of the cash and stated that he had won it in a number of casinos in France. It was proven to the Court that these claims did not stand up to scrutiny. It was also shown that Mr Kinsella did not have the financial capacity to have this sum from a legitimate source.

Mr Kinsella did not attend, nor was he represented at the Circuit Court, and the application was unopposed.