Fury at raid on ex-IRA leader
Backlash after audacious border assets operation
Sinn Fein has reacted with fury after an anti-racketeering agency struck at the heart of republicanism by targeting the alleged criminal assets of a man named in Parliament as an IRA killer and a member of the Provos’ Army Council.
Property and bank accounts believed to be worth millions were frozen yesterday after the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) moved against prominent republican Sean Gerard Hughes and his wife.
Annette Hughes is an independent member of Newry and Mourne District Policing Partnership.
Sinn Fein has reacted with fury after PSNI officers were drafted into south Armagh to support Soca officers as they carried out searches of properties.
Soca has now taken control of eight houses in south Armagh, an apartment in south Belfast, proceeds of the sale of three other houses in south Armagh and a number of bank accounts.
Applying for an Interim Order in Belfast High Court yesterday, Soca alleged in court that the properties were derived from laundering proceeds of mortgage fraud, tax evasion and benefit fraud.
As part of the same case Soca has also taken control of assets belonging to 10 other people in the south Armagh area, including six members of the extended Hughes family. The other people the High Court Order was granted against are: Sean Francis Hughes; Ciaran James Hughes; Sarah (Sally) Hughes; Paul Michael Hughes; Thomas Noel Hughes; Bridget Philomena Hughes; Aidan McKeown; Seamus Faulds; Francis Raymond Murphy and Madeleine Murphy.
Local Sinn Fein MP Conor Murphy hit out at the raids.
“He (Mr Hughes) has spent his entire adult life engaged in the struggle for Irish unity and independence. He has championed the peace process and the campaign to end political policing. There have been numerous attempts over the years to smear Sean’s character,” he said.
“The raids have caused deep anger. There is no justification for the deliberate targeting of Sean and his family today. Sean has been charged with nothing, neither have any members of his family. It is unacceptable.”
These are the most audacious raids carried out by law enforcement agencies to freeze alleged criminal assets since 2006 when the Asset Recovery Agency seized a number of properties belonging to republican Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy.
Two years ago Ulster Unionist peer Lord Laird used Parliamentary privilege in the House of Lords to allege that Sean Hughes was one of a number of senior IRA members who authorised the murder of Paul Quinn.
Sinn Fein has said it does not believe there was any republican involvement in that murder.
In 2002 Peter Robinson used Parliamentary privilege to tell the Commons that Hughes was linked to the 1996 bombing in Canary Wharf in which two people died.
Mr Robinson also alleged that Hughes was also responsible for killing 18 soldiers at Warrenpoint in 1979, a mortar bombing in Newry, and the killing of Northern Ireland judge Maurice Gibson and his wife Cecily in 1987.
He said in Parliament that Hughes was the most “ruthless killer and thug” in the ranks of the IRA.
Eight years ago Mr Hughes was convicted of fraudulently claiming income support and fined £1,500 after pleading guilty to two charges. Last year he gave an oration at the funeral of IRA commander Brian Keenan.
