Simon Gold pleads not guilty to money laundering charges

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

Simon Gold pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 22 charges, including money laundering, theft, deception and control of false instruments. The alleged offences were dated between 1 January 2010 and 22 October 2012. The proceedings were reported on 4 June 2019.

In his closing speech, prosecuting counsel Lorcan Staines SC said Gold operated several companies and had admitted using false documents to open a bank account and buy a computer. He said the prosecution alleged that Gold stole Danish businessman Kurt Lauridsen’s money in 2012 and then laundered it.

Defence counsel Dominic McGinn SC said Gold was a talker and that four Irish men who paid for his services failing to receive a loan was not a crime. He suggested Lauridsen’s lawyer, Dr Bodo Baars, had stolen the money and said there was very little evidence Gold knew what was happening.

McGinn also said the jury had heard that an ESB bill was not genuine and that Gold had accepted in interview that it was false. Counsel said the jury could convict Gold of that offence and, if it went no further, he did not think Gold would complain.

The trial was continuing before Judge Nolan and a jury.