CAB seeks €77,000–€117,000 from James ‘Mago’ Gately over damage to seized home

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Criminal Assets Bureau is seeking a High Court order requiring James ‘Mago’ Gately to compensate for an alleged loss in value to his former home after fixtures were removed. The house, deemed by the court to be overwhelmingly derived from crime proceeds, was sold at auction for €308,000 in November 2025.

The bureau says the property could have sold for €425,000 without the removed fittings, or €385,000 in a cash sale, estimating losses of €117,000 or €77,000 respectively. Gately’s lawyer opposed the application, disputing that a restriction on removing the fittings had been made clear, whether Gately had been formally served, and the reliability of the valuation. The judge said he would decide the application in October 2026.