Courts / Tipperary / Report
Payment wasn't complicated, tax inspector tells Lowry trial
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Independent TD Michael Lowry (64) pleaded not guilty to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns and one charge of failing to keep proper accounts for the period 2002‑2007, and to similar charges on behalf of his company Garuda Ltd. The case centres on a £248,624 (€372,000) commission received by Garuda from Finnish refrigeration firm Norpe OY in August 2002, which Lowry allegedly arranged to be paid to a third party in the Isle of Man and thus omitted from the company's 2002 accounts. In 2007 the accounts were allegedly falsified to record the payment as received in 2006. A tax inspector, Henry Oliver, computed that Garuda owed corporation tax, PAYE and PRSI on the amount, totaling over €500,000 in tax, fines and penalties, and that Lowry owed income tax on the same sum.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Payment wasn't complicated, tax inspector tells Lowry trial. Charges or matters: four charges of filing incorrect tax returns on dates between August 2002 and August 2007 in relation to a sum of Stg £248,624 received by his company, Garuda Ltd and one charge in relation to failing to keep a proper set of accounts on dates between 28 August, 2002 and August 3, 2007. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- August 2002 Hearing Or Sentence
- August 2007 Hearing Or Sentence
- 28 August Other
- August 3, 2007 Other
- January 2007 Other
- August 2013 Other
- 2018-06-14 Publication
Why: Henry Oliver, inspector of taxes in the investigation unit of Revenue told Remy Farrell SC, prosecuting, that he carried out a corporation tax computation in August 2013 because he believed Garuda had a tax liability as a consequence of the 2002 Norpe payment being incorrectly accounted for in 2006. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: four charges of filing incorrect tax returns on dates between August 2002 and August 2007 in relation to a sum of Stg £248,624 received by his company, Garuda Ltd and one charge in relation to failing to keep a proper set of accounts on dates between 28 August, 2002 and August 3, 2007 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Places mentioned
Topics
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