Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 106: To ask the Minister for Finance if a Garda file has yet been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, arising from the seizure of 120 million cigarettes at Greenore, County Louth in October 2009; the estimated value of the cigarettes seized; if the vessel, alleged to have been involved in the incident, is still detained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13004/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that Operation Samhna resulted in the seizure of a consignment of 120.3m cigarettes with an estimated retail value of €46.7 million and revenue at risk of €40.7 million at Greenore Port Co. Louth in October 2009. The Operation was led by the Revenue Customs Service, and supported by An Garda Síochána, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Irish Naval Service and the Air Corps. Officers from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Police Service of Northern Ireland were also present.

The investigation of the offence and the completion of the report for the Director of Public Prosecutions are matters that are proper to the Revenue Commissioners who have primary responsibility for tackling cigarette smuggling. In this regard, I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the investigation in this case is continuing. The investigation is being carried out by Revenue Investigators and also involves Investigators from the European Anti Fraud Office (OLAF), who are co-ordinating investigations abroad with the relevant authorities in the Philippines, is continuing. In this regard, a team involving officers from Revenue and OLAF have already visited the Philippines where they instigated the gathering of the necessary information.

A Mutual Legal Assistance request was sent to the authorities in the Philippines at the early stages of the investigation and a supplementary request has recently followed in relation to the gathering of the additional evidence. A response to both the original and supplementary request is awaited. In this regard, it is envisaged that the Revenue and OLAF team of investigators will again visit the Philippines in the immediate future with a view of expediting the official responses to both requests.

I am further informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the vessel, the M/V Anne Scan, that was involved in the conveyance of the cigarettes to Ireland and which was seized under the Customs Acts, was subsequently released on 6 November 2009 on payment of a compromise sum after it had been established that neither the owners of the vessel nor the company to whom it had been first leased for chartering purposes had any involvement in the smuggling operation.