03/10/2006

Businessman to pay £18.5 million to ASA and CAB

A businessman from Limerick has agreed to pay £18.5m to the Assets Recovery Agency and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) in the Republic of Ireland in respect of property which resulted from the VAT fraud.

The agreement was reached after a mediation process and means that Dylan Creaven, 32, who currently lives in London but originally came from Ennis in County Clare, will pay a total sum of £18million to the two bodies, and will also transfer the ownership of a luxury villa in Marbella and four racehorses, one of which was the winner of the 2005 Galway Hurdle.

Jane Earl, Director of the Assets Recovery Agency, said: “This case is our largest result so far. It demonstrates the power of civil recovery legislation in taking away the fruits of unlawful activity. This case means that a proportion of the money stolen from the taxpayer through VAT fraud will be returned to the public purse, and it represents a significant achievement in the fight against VAT fraud, which is not a victimless crime. Working with our colleagues in the Republic of Ireland, we have been able to ensure that there are no hiding places for assets at home or abroad. This is the first time that the Agency has used the mediation route and it has brought this case to a successful conclusion.”

Last year, Mr Creaven was acquitted of VAT fraud following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs into allegations that he played a principal part in an international missing trader VAT fraud thorough his computer chip business in the Republic of Ireland.

Following a subsequent investigation by ARA, with an involvement from CAB, Assets Recovery Agency lawyers were successful last year in obtaining a freezing order over Mr Creaven’s assets.

(EF/KMcA)

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