Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

836. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of mutual assistance legal requests received from overseas Governments as part of investigations into money laundering from 2007 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28334/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The number of mutual assistance requests received from other States arising from criminal investigations recorded as relating to money laundering, from 2007 to 2016 and to date in 2017 is set out in the table below.

The Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008 as amended which came into effect on the 1^stof September 2008, was enacted in order to incorporate into Irish law a number of conventions, agreements and protocols in relation to mutual assistance. The Act includes provisions dealing with the procurement of information in relation to financial transactions for criminal investigation purposes and freezing, confiscation and forfeiture of property. Prior to the enactment of the 2008 Act, the Criminal Justice Act, 1994 gave effect to the Council of Europe’s Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters 1959. Part IV of that Act deals with the issue of money laundering.

While every attempt has been made to provide the Deputy with accurate statistics in relation to this matter, it should be noted that many of the criminal investigations giving rise to individual mutual legal assistance requests deal with a multiplicity of criminal activity. Consequently, some requests which may contain a money laundering element may have been classified under a different category of criminal conduct for recording purposes where the latter conduct comprises the primary reason for the making of the request.