Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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418. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the total value of assets seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau in each of the past five years and to date in 2021, by county. [49289/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a multi-agency statutory body established under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996. The Bureau’s remit is to target a person's assets, wherever situated, which derive, or are suspected to derive, directly or indirectly, from criminal conduct. Since its inception, the Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting organised crime in this jurisdiction and disrupting the activities of criminal gangs by depriving them of ill-gotten assets.

The Criminal Assets Bureau do not currently record the breakdown for the value of assets seized by county.

I am advised by CAB that the below table outlines the value of assets seized by the Bureau for the years 2016 – 2020.

To date in 2021, the Bureau has obtained orders in 10 new cases with a value of assets seized in excess of €1,806,000.

It should be noted that, under the Proceeds of Crime legislation, following a determination by the court that a specified property constitutes the proceeds of crime, seven years must normally elapse before these criminal proceeds may be ultimately confiscated.

It should also be noted that not all of the proceeds of crime which are seized are made available to the State. For example, in 2019 the large increase in seized assets is due to the granting of a freezing order over cryptocurrency to the value of €53,023,140.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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419. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount returned to the public purse by the Criminal Assets Bureau in each of the past five years and to date in 2021. [49290/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a multi-agency statutory body established under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996. The Bureau’s remit is to target a person's assets, wherever situated, which derive, or are suspected to derive, directly or indirectly, from criminal conduct. Since its inception, the Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting organised crime in this jurisdiction and disrupting the activities of criminal gangs by depriving them of ill-gotten assets.

I am advised by CAB that the below table outlines the value of monies returned to the Exchequer by the Bureau for the years 2016 - 2020 under Section 4 and 4A of the Proceeds of Crime Act, as amended.

To date in 2021, the Criminal Assets Bureau has remitted €671,372.54 to the Exchequer.

It should be noted that, under the Proceeds of Crime legislation, following a determination by the court that a specified property constitutes the proceeds of crime, seven years must normally elapse before criminal proceeds may be ultimately confiscated.