Courts / Monaghan / Report
State withdraws case against water meter installer accused of involvement in alleged diesel laundering
Summary
Paul Haughey, a 35-year-old water meter installer and company director, appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where the State withdrew its case against him. He had been charged in the District Court last year with removing or attempting to remove a prescribed marker from mineral oil without the consent of the Revenue Commissioners. The alleged offence occurred on September 1, 2011, at Corragarry, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan. Gardaí alleged that Haughey was caught standing on a tanker containing 30,000 litres of diesel, with a potential exchequer loss of €15,000. A search of the yard revealed €110,000 litres of diesel, representing a potential €55,000 loss. Authorities alleged the yard had a capacity to produce 18 million litres of fuel annually, with a total possible loss to the State of €9 million. The offence carried a maximum fine of €10,000 and a sentence of five years in prison on conviction. At the hearing, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions stated she was not proceeding with the case and applied to strike out the charge. Judge Patricia Ryan agreed to strike out the charge and adjourned the matter until April 24 next, when an application for costs will be heard. No reason was given for the strike-out. Previously, a District Court judge had deferred a decision on granting legal aid to Haughey after noting his firm held a three-year contract with Dublin City Council for installing water meters.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: State withdraws case against water meter installer accused of involvement in alleged diesel laundering. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- September 1, 2011 Incident
- April 24 Adjournment
- 2015-04-13 Publication
Why: No reason was given for the strike-out. CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Outcome: The offence carried a maximum fine of €10,000 and sentence of five years in prison on conviction.; Judge Patricia Ryan agreed to strike out the charge and adjourned the matter until April 24 next when an application for costs will be heard.
Places mentioned
Topics
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