logo
Gerry Hutch will ‘have to testify' & take the stand if alleged money laundering case proceeds, Spanish courts insist

Gerry Hutch will ‘have to testify' & take the stand if alleged money laundering case proceeds, Spanish courts insist

The Irish Sun6 hours ago

GERRY 'The Monk' Hutch must take the stand in court if the case against him proceeds — Spanish authorities have told us.
The 62-year-old Dubliner remains under investigation for alleged money laundering offences but he has yet to reappear in a Lanzarote court since
Advertisement
4
Gerry Hutch is likely to appear in court in Spain
Credit: Gary Ashe
4
The probe is centred on the alleged use of cash from criminal activities to buy properties and vehicles
Credit: JUAN MATEOS
4
It is also assisted by the Gardai by sharing information and evidence
Credit: PA:Press Association
There was a series of raids in
Advertisement
Spanish authorities branded Hutch as 'an alleged leader of an international gang of criminals' and he was held in
He was granted bail of €100,000 and returned to Ireland ahead of his bid for a Dail seat in
In an update given to
They told us: 'Mr Hutch is still under investigation. He has not reappeared at this time.
'If the case goes forward and is not dismissed, he will have to testify at the
Advertisement
We also understand that Hutch is 'likely' to be summoned to appear to testify in any preliminary investigation phase hearing if it is scheduled.
The Spanish-led probe is centred on the Hutch Organised Crime Group's alleged use of cash from criminal activities to buy properties and vehicles in
The investigation — which saw eight others also lifted — has been ongoing for more than two years, with
Gerry Hutch returns to Ireland to make run for Dail official
After the arrests, authorities in Spain said: 'They are being probed as alleged perpetrators of money laundering crimes committed within a criminal organisation.'
In an interview last year, Hutch claimed the probe was being orchestrated by the Gardai to prevent him standing in the election.
Advertisement
He denied any wrongdoing when he returned back to
BACK HOME FOR DAIL RUN
Hutch ran for a
Irish director
The My Left Foot director was following Hutch with a camera crew as part of a documentary he is making about the election and the gang boss.
'If the case goes forward and is not dismissed, he will have to testify at the trial hearing if one is scheduled. The probe is ongoing, and its contents are not public.'
Spokesman for the Canary Islands' High Court of Justice
Speaking at the count centre in the
Advertisement
He said: 'I was thinking of just doing a small documentary about the election – that's all. I never thought he'd get in or have a chance.'
RAGS TO RICHES & FAME
GERRY 'The Monk' Hutch could soon become a Netflix star if Jim Sheridan gets his way.
A trailer on the life story of the gangster, made by the award-winning producer and director, was sent to the global network for consideration earlier this year.
Both Netflix and Sky have indicated to Sheridan they are interested in The Monk's rags-to-riches life story.
The director has made a trailer on the proposed real-life story and it is being sent to them.
Earlier this year a source told us: 'Gerry gave Jim his full co-operation and has given him several hours of taped interviews. Some of the stuff he spoke about is incredible.
'However, some clips may have to be refilmed because they are now outdated and have been overtaken by (recent) events.
'There will be huge public interest in his story and what he has to say.
'Both Netflix and Sky are now considering it.'
Asked why he thinks people backed The Monk at the polls, Jim said: 'I just think it is anger at their position. Years and years of drugs and nothing happening in that community.
'Like some people are trying to help but there has never been, like since Tony Gregory, a cohesive attitude towards it or a focused attitude.
'Sheriff Street, I think that was the one thing they got wrong because it's like a blocked artery down there.
'It's crazy and it's in the shadow of all these IFSC and it's not really a real community. It's just one street now and you would just wish that something good was developed for it.'
Advertisement
DPP DECISION TO COME
Hutch refused to rule out running for public office again after failing in his attempt to win a Dail seat last year.
He has since continued to live between Ireland and Lanzarote.
Meanwhile, the Director of Public Prosecutions is weighing up organised crime charges against him here in Ireland.
Hutch walked free from the Special Criminal Court in April 2023, left, after he was acquitted of murdering the 34-year-old
4
Hutch ran for a Dail seat last year and just fell short in Dublin Central
Credit: Reuters
Advertisement

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Number of Irish J1 students travelling to US drops by 25pc as social media vetting kicks in
Number of Irish J1 students travelling to US drops by 25pc as social media vetting kicks in

Irish Independent

timean hour ago

  • Irish Independent

Number of Irish J1 students travelling to US drops by 25pc as social media vetting kicks in

Undocumented Irish being quietly detained and deported after attending routine check-ins There has been a 25pc drop in young people travelling from ­Ireland to the US on student visas, US authorities recorded last month. Preliminary data from the tourism office within the US Department of Commerce shows Denmark saw an even steeper decline in May compared to the same month last year, with a 32pc drop in student visa arrivals.

‘Unconditional bail never felt so good': Barry Egan watches Kneecap celebrate freedom with hip-hop hymns for the Dublin faithful
‘Unconditional bail never felt so good': Barry Egan watches Kneecap celebrate freedom with hip-hop hymns for the Dublin faithful

Irish Independent

timean hour ago

  • Irish Independent

‘Unconditional bail never felt so good': Barry Egan watches Kneecap celebrate freedom with hip-hop hymns for the Dublin faithful

There is only one band in the world with titles like that. And yet, on a long hot summer night, the atmosphere at Kneecap's sold-out show in Fairview Park on Thursday was as friendly and inclusive as any Westlife concert. There were kids with their shirts off playing basketball on the court outside the venue, as if they were in Brooklyn. Inside, fans were eating hipster burgers and chips or drinking pints of beer in the sunshine. But there were plenty of political statements around too. Many fans wore tricolour balaclavas and Ireland football jerseys or had Palestinian flags draped over their shoulders. One young man had a flag with the slogan 'From the river to the sea' on it. Another had a T-shirt with 'England get out of Ireland'. People were taking selfies beside a vehicle mocked up as a PSNI armoured Land Rover. On the wall beside it was the wording: 'More Blacks. More Dogs. More Irish. Mo Chara.' The most popular T-shirt of the night had the words 'Free Mo Chara' on it. At 8.50pm, the man the T-shirts were referring to bounded on stage to deafening applause and said: 'I'm a free man.' The 8,000-plus fans at the sold-out show were bouncing about inside the giant tent so vigorously that you could probably feel the vibrations all the way to Westminster Magistrates' Court, where last Wednesday the 27-year-old rapper (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) was granted unconditional bail after being charged with a terrorist charge. He is accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig last November. 'Unconditional bail never felt so good. I'm going to make the best of it,' he said. The crowd cheered and waved their Palestinian flags He was true to his word as he raced around the stage like a nationalist Mick Jagger in a shiny tracksuit. He was flanked by fellow rapper Móglaí Bap, with DJ Próvaí in his Tricolour balaclava behind them at the DJ console supplying the beats and some raps himself. Before they took to the stage there was a video screen with messages about Israeli genocide in Gaza, the 60,000 Gazans killed and the Irish Government allowing the US military to use Irish airports. ADVERTISEMENT The crowd cheered and waved their Palestinian flags and the show began with It's Been Ages — and Móglaí Bap showing off his bilingual lyrical dexterity: 'Oh it's been ages/since we made the front pages/Sin deireadh linn ár hiatus/Back to annoy c**ts that hate us.' The feel-good hip-hop had everyone under the big tent dancing like they were having the time of their lives. The feeling was reciprocated by the energetic three men in tracksuits and runners on stage. Next up was Fenian C**ts. Once you get past the title, it's a hip-hop hymn to the beauty of Protestants and Catholics in the North... ahem, getting it on. It had 8,000 people dancing and singing along to the tale of a latter-day Romeo and Juliet in Belfast, with an unhappy ending. Móglaí Bap raps about hooking up with a young woman who's as beautiful, he says, as the mythical Niamh Cinn Óir, the golden-haired lover of Oisín, son of Fionn MacCumhail. It might sound overblown, but it's fun. As pop critic Miranda Sawyer wrote last year: 'Like Eminem, Kneecap's humour is the key to their success.' Another song, the club-friendly banger Parful, is about young Catholics and Protestants dancing with each other in the North's clubs on a Saturday night. As Mo Chara rapped in Fairview: 'These young people have lived their entire lives in a society poisoned by sectarian hatred/Rave brings Protestants and Catholics together…' On Rhino Ket, they sing about the effects of coming home after a night on the tiles in their beloved Belfast, taking the drugs of the song title. 'Can't sit, can't think, can barely even walk,' raps Mo Chara. 'Dunno how the f**k we'll make it back to the Falls,' answers Móglaí Bap. We don't discriminate in who we piss off On another song about the joys of drugs, Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite, Mo Chara raps: 'I swear I haven't got any gear Mr Garda.' I was curious about the reaction to that one from any members of An Garda Síochána present at the concert. I spent a memorable few hours with the group at a hotel in Newry in 2021. On that occasion, they arrived late because their car broke down on the way from Belfast. When they walked in, a little sheepishly, Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap from West Belfast and DJ Próvaí from Creggan in Derry ordered flat whites, cappuccinos, herbal teas. Their only rock'n'roll behaviour was when DJ Próvaí, who wears a tricolour balaclava when he performs onstage, reached into his trousers, took his trademark headgear out of his underpants and threw it to me. (I still have it.) The Guardian recently described Kneecap as being post-Good Friday Agreement bad boys, taking out every old authority figure without fear. They quoted them saying: 'We don't discriminate in who we piss off.' And on Thursday night in Fairview, it would appear so. The Recap, their new single, is released tomorrow (though a bootleg version has been doing the rounds on SoundCloud for a while now) and it was one of the standout songs of the night. The track was inspired by UK Tory Party leader Kemi Badenoch. Lest we forget, Kneecap won a court case last November against Badenoch after she had blocked an arts grant being awarded to the band, citing their politics as being anti-British. For two hours on Thursday, Kneecap were a blur of energy as they dared and prodded the audience to keep up with their exuberance — it's powerful, innovative, exciting and fun music. They sliced and diced their lyrics between English and Irish in their songs and the crowd lapped up every word. In short, it was a great show, all 17 songs of it. Yes, they're gobby, and yes, they're controversial. And yes, you probably won't like all — or any — of their songs, which are deliberately provocative. But as they say themselves, they are simply holding up a mirror to society. I think there is a huge sense of pride in Ireland for what Kneecap stand for The biggest cheer of the night came after they shuffled off and then returned to encore with Get Your Brits Out and Hood. The latter is about... well, as Mo Chara raps 'Low-life scum — that's what they say about me', while the former is about a made-up drug-fuelled night on the town with the grandees of the Democratic Unionist Party. They rap, with 8,000 people joining in: 'Arlene's throwing shapes/half a yoke nearly killed her/Jeffrey Donaldson's lost all his filters.' After the show, I spoke to Kneecap's manager, Daniel Lambert, who is also chief operating officer of Bohemians Football Club. 'It was a phenomenal night,' he said. 'The atmosphere was unbelievable. I have never felt noise like it coming off a stage. I think there is a huge sense of pride in Ireland for what Kneecap stand for — and that they are going around the world and bringing such a positive portrayal of Ireland. 'Kneecap deliver such positive messages. I think that they're a really important act at the moment — and we should also remember what Fontaines DC are doing, what the Mary Wallopers are doing, what Lankum are doing, what CMAT is doing, what Gurriers are doing, what Murder Capital are doing. 'What they're all doing around the world is great — going out there and bringing amazing music to people, but also a message of solidarity and empathy with Palestine, which is so important right now. 'I think Kneecap can forever hold their heads up high and know they've done — and are doing — something really special. I am really proud of them.'

Eoin O'Malley: CityWest deal shows the State is in the asylum business for the long haul, but the opposite approach is working for Denmark
Eoin O'Malley: CityWest deal shows the State is in the asylum business for the long haul, but the opposite approach is working for Denmark

Irish Independent

timean hour ago

  • Irish Independent

Eoin O'Malley: CityWest deal shows the State is in the asylum business for the long haul, but the opposite approach is working for Denmark

The Danes are pursuing a 'zero refugee' policy and is sending out a strong message about how tough its rules are Today at 21:30 If we were to choose a monument to Irish policy failure, we could do worse than to pick the Citywest Hotel. The Government last week authorised the purchase of the hotel in Saggart, Co Dublin, to become a state-owned International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre for asylum-seekers. Citywest was built by businessman Jim Mansfield, who borrowed heavily to expand it to become one of the largest hotels in Europe. It became host to some large events. All-Ireland champions partied there after victory. It was where the Fianna Fáil faithful gathered when the party was in its heyday. The faux-Georgian hotel seemed to symbolise Celtic Tiger excess and hubris.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store