Courts / Dublin / Report
No jail for Afghan man who laundered €45k while on social welfare
Summary
An Afghan man, Rahimullah Hotak, who laundered €45,000 by making payments to accounts in six different countries while receiving social welfare in Ireland, has been given a fully suspended sentence. Hotak, who pleaded guilty to money laundering, made 45 separate payments totaling €45,208.53 between January 2020 and April 2021. The court heard that the amount was 'totally out of proportion' to the funds he would have had access to at the time as a 19-year-old. Hotak's defence counsel noted that he recognises Ireland's support and hopes to return to Afghanistan with his family. The court also heard that Hotak was arrested but made no admissions. Judge Orla Crowe noted the troubling features of the case, including the source of the money, and adjourned the case to assess Hotak's risk of re-offending. Hotak has no previous convictions and the Probation Service has deemed him to be at low risk of re-offending. Judge Crowe handed down a sentence of 18 months, which she suspended for a period of three years on a number of conditions.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: No jail for Afghan man who laundered €45k while on social welfare. Charges or matters: one count of money laundering. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- April 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 2016 Incident
- 2026-06-16 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: one count of money laundering (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: She handed down a sentence of 18 months, which she suspended for a period for three years on a number of conditions.; She noted there were "troubling features" in the case, including where the money had come from, and that she had adjourned the case to assess Hotak's risk of re-offending.
Places mentioned
Topics
Related court reports
- Solicitor agrees not to contact former tenant following High Court settlement
- 'I guess this is just my turn': visually impaired woman describes panic during false imprisonment by bogus taxi driver
- 'Nuisance' offender gets life for murdering 'drunken bowsie' after 'lewd requests'
- Parcel from South Africa contained €210k worth of cannabis
- Custody records of Ana Kriegel killer 'crucial to appeal', court told
- Jury finds man who meted out 'volley of violence' on 'drunken bowsie' guilty of murder
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request