Mr. Martin Callinan:

The report in the media at the weekend, in the context of the Garda National Bureau of Fraud Investigation, mentioned that there were two accountants in the section. We also have available the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, which is a multi-agency body. It has people from the taxation, customs, revenue and social welfare worlds as well as gardaí. There is an eclectic mix in the context of the staffing of the CAB. We are continuously targeting the individuals in all of the groupings I mentioned and trying to source their funds. It is a difficult exercise, with many firewalls built up between individuals and account holders in complex arrangements. All Garda divisions have profilers trained by the CAB who target people at the lower and middle level, where they see people living a lifestyle beyond their means. These people and their families are targeted and it is a constant stream of work. The evidence exists that the system is working although it may not be working as fast as people would like. There are major difficulties sourcing the kind of information we need to satisfy a court that an individual holding bank accounts, sometimes through family members, is linked to organised crime.