US scientist sues ex-gardai and CAB lawyer for €25m
THE FORMER chief legal officer of the Criminal Assets Bureau and two former high-ranking gardai are being sued in a €25.6m legal action in the US.
The case centres on their alleged role in the freezing of the assets of a US scientist by the government of the tiny African republic of Seychelles.
The case, which was lodged in New York earlier this week, has cast light on the role of gardai appointed by the Republic of Seychelles to combat corruption and money laundering in the tiny offshore financial centre off the east coast of Africa.
Cork solicitor Barry Galvin, who was appointed by the Seychelles government to conduct a review of its criminal justice system, has been cited in the civil action by an American citizen who claims that the Republic of Seychelles illegally froze €5.65m deposited in the Seychelles branch of Barclays Bank from his solar energy company last year.
Recently retired gardai Liam Hogan and Declan Barber are also being personally sued by scientist Dr George Xiao over the disputed asset freeze action by the Seychelles government.
It is alleged that the three men worked as sub-contractors for the Seychelles government's Financial Intelligence Unit which froze Dr Xiao's account with Barclays.
Earlier this year, four former Irish police officers including Mr Hogan were appointed by Seychelles President James Michel to support the island's acting commissioner of police to "build public confidence in the Seychelles Police Force".
Mr Hogan, a former garda superintendent, is an intelligence expert and deputy director of the Seychelles Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) which has CAB-style powers to freeze and seize assets.
Mr Barber, the Seychelles honorary consul in Ireland who is described in court pleadings as the director of the FIU, is also cited in the action as one of the "Irish sub-contractors". A 99-page complaint, filed in the US District Court Southern District of New York and obtained by the Irish Independent, claims that the Seychelles government sub-contracted its FIU operations to Mr Galvin, Mr Barber and Mr Hogan.
Last night, Dr Xiao's lawyer, Craig Weiner, said his client's funds were seized without any "viable justification". Mr Weiner said that the transaction that triggered the Xiao/FIU investigation was perfectly legitimate.
Mr Galvin, who last night told the Irish Independent that he had yet to receive notice of the New York action, travels to the Republic of Seychelles on a regular basis in his capacity as a private consultant to its government.
Mr Hogan is currently in the Seychelles and Mr Barber did not return calls by the Irish Independent.
- Dearbhail McDonald Legal Editor
Irish Independent
