Gardaí say imprisonment of money launderer 'significant'

Calahonda52

5 years , 2 suspended, so will be out in 18 months.

Complete joke, given the lives that have been destroyed.

Abimbola was arrested and charged, but fled to the UK after he was granted bail: this was not taken into account.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/1024/1477149-crime/

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058377538/gardai-say-imprisonment-of-money-launderer-significant

Is there any equivalent of RICO laws in Ireland. You'd imagine given his links to Black Axe he should serve a massive sentence. I'd imagine it took a lot of resources to build a case like this, a sentence of five years is ridiculous.

Peregrinus

He can only be sentenced for the crimes of which he was convicted, and he can only be convicted of the crimes with which he was charged and, from reports, he was faced with four charges of money-laundering, all related to the same sum of money which was part of the proceeds of a fraud perpetrated on a solicitor's practice. There's no suggestion that he was involved in perpetrating the fraud, but he assisted in laundering some of the proceeds, for which he received, apparently, an iPhone worth €1,200.

I don't want to minimise the seriousness of this crime, but the Paul Reynolds report linked in the OP mentions "online fraud, human trafficking, drugs and gun crime as well as murder". Abimbola wasn't charged with anything of that kind, presumably because there is no evidence that he was involved in anything of that kind. The OP, perhaps inspired by Reynold's sensational reporting, talks about "the lives that have been destroyed" but is not very specific about whose lives, exactly, have been destroyed or how Abimbola is culpable for this. In any case, he couldn't be sentenced for anything like that, since he wasn't charged with anything like that.

Yes, there are RICO-like laws in Ireland, and in fact they were used against Abimbola. In addition to the money-laundering charges he faced one charge of assisting organised crime (in connection with bank account details that he provided to others for money-laundering purposes. The maximum sentence for that offence is 5 years. (There are more serious offences available under the same legislation, attracting higher sentences; Abimbola wasn't charged with them — most likely, because there was no evidence that he was guilty of them.)

The OP, and the news report to which it links, also omits to mention that Abimbola pleaded guilty to all charges, a factor which is obviously relevant if we are considering whether his sentence is out of line.

Woodcutting

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122756771#Comment_122756771

Excellent reply

Hotblack Desiato

The OP, and the news report to which it links, also omits to mention that Abimbola pleaded guilty to all charges, a factor which is obviously relevant if we are considering whether his sentence is out of line.

After fleeing to the UK and having to be extradited - a factor which is also obviously relevant…