Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Moran and Mr. Butler for their presentations and their forthright answering of questions. We are talking about fuel fraud. The emphasis is on petrol stretching because engines breakdown. However, diesel fraud and diesel laundering is a much bigger problem. The biggest victim in all of this is the taxpayer, given the amount of lost revenue. Has any figure been put on the estimated loss of revenue arising from fuel fraud in general, for last year or the year before? It was also stated that 3,000,000 gallons of laundered fuel was seized. Were there successful prosecutions arising from this and, if so, what penalties were imposed? Was it imprisonment or fines?

It was also mentioned that a criminal network is involved in the fuel fraud and fuel laundering business, that it is a cross-Border fraud and that the agencies on both sides of the Border are trying to tackle it. It was said that some of the criminal elements involved were people with a political involvement. There have been some high profile cases involving the discovery of laundered fuel. I have a question on the role of the Garda and Revenue's co-operation with the Garda on how to deal with the issue, given the nature of some of the criminal elements involved, which may have a paramilitary background. I also wish to know if the Criminal Assets Bureau is involved.

Some journalists who have investigated fuel laundering give figures such as €40 million worth of fraud. Has the Criminal Assets Bureau been involved and has it made any seizures as a result of work done by the Revenue Commissioners?