A FINANCIAL adviser who told gardaí he collected almost £5 million in four separate pick- ups was due to collect yet more money but cancelled it when he discovered some of the cash he had already got was traceable Northern Bank money, a court heard yesterday.
Ted Cunningham told gardaí during a series of voluntary interviews in September 2005 that he was due to make a fifth collection of money but that he cancelled it when he discovered that money he picked up on the fourth collection was traceable Northern Bank sterling.
The revelation came on the 25th day of Mr Cunningham’s trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court during the playing of a video-recording of a series of memos of interviews being read back to Mr Cunningham on camera at the Bridewell Garda station on September 21st, 2005.
Mr Cunningham denies 20 charges of money-laundering including one of possessing £3,010,380 at Farran between December 20th, 2004, and February 16th, 2005, knowing or believing it to be the proceeds of robbery at the Northern Bank cash centre in Belfast.
The interviews were conducted by Det Sgt Gerry McCarthy and other officers at Anglesea Street Garda station on September 7th and 8th, 2005, but were not video-recorded and yesterday lawyers for Mr Cunningham alleged that gardaí had instructed him what to say.
Ciarán O’Loughlin SC, for Mr Cunningham, said his client would say that he was told that if he departed from what he had told gardaí in February 2005 when he was interviewed while in custody, gardaí would make life difficult for his family.
He put it to Det Sgt McCarthy that he told Mr Cunningham during these voluntary interviews in September 2005 that “his family would go through the same as the McBreartys in Donegal if he didn’t go along with what he said in February”.
Det Sgt McCarthy strongly denied the allegation.
He also denied a suggestion by Mr O’Loughlin that he told Mr Cunningham that he believed he was a decent family man and the person he was after was Phil Flynn.
“No, I had no issues with Phil Flynn,” said Det Sgt McCarthy.
He said he had asked Mr Cunningham to describe the man from whom he received money four times in January and February 2005, but that he did not pursue him about identifying the man as it was clear that Mr Cunningham “didn’t want to go down that route”.
“What we suspected we were dealing with was an IRA cell and if somebody was reluctant to give any information about that, that was perfectly understandable and he was not under any pressure in that regard,” he said.
