Priory Hall Dublin, Tom McFeely, Criminal Assets Bureau
Sinn Fein Bagman Tom McFeely
left €200,000 in his Mansion, the Sinn Fein Bagman handed over large amounts of
cash to Sinn Fein in the run up to the General Election in 2011 which resulted
in 14 Sinn Fein TDs getting elected. McFeely’s fortune was made off the back of
good and decent hard working people who have now been left homeless after being
evacuated from their Priory Hall Homes.
A search by the Criminal
Assets Bureau of the former home of controversial Priory Hall developer Thomas
McFeely is continuing this afternoon after officers found €60,000 in cash just
days after a plumber found €140,000.
The €60,000 find was made
yesterday, just days after a plumber carrying out renovations for the new
owners of the luxury property on Dublin’s exclusive Ailesbury Road in
Ballsbridge, found €140,000 in €50 notes hidden in the bathroom.
It is understood the latest
haul, which was made up of €50 notes wrapped in rubber bands and plastic bags,
was also found in the bathroom.
Officers from CAB were this
afternoon continuing to search the property, once valued at €15 million but
sold last year for €2.5 million.
The gardens and drains of
the extensive red brick property were searched throughout today with teams of
gardai seen removing bags from inside the home and using heavy tools including
long handled shovels, axes and ladders.
Mr McFeely, said to have
debts of some €200 million, was adjudicated bankrupt at the High Court here in
August 2012.
After a legal battle, his
home was then repossessed by the National Assets Management Agency as part of
its efforts to enforce a €9.5 million judgment obtained against him over unpaid
loans.
After the €140,00 was found
on September 20th, it was lodged in a bank account under the control of the
official assignee in bankruptcy pending a decision on what should happen to it.
The €60,000 is expected to be similarly lodged.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said
today Nama would be interested in the discoveries after taking control of Mr
McFeely’s loans.
“I understand that an
inch-by-inch survey, an investigation, has been carried out both in this
residence and on the grounds of the premises to see if there is any more here,”
Mr Kenny said.
“I think all of that smacks
of what happened during the so-called Tiger years, when you had profligacy and
greed and money sloshing around in so many places, that this is further
evidence of what happened.”
Mr McFeely - a former IRA
hunger-striker - was involved in the development of Priory Hall in Donaghmede
which was evacuated almost two years ago after Dublin City Council raised
concerns in the High Court about fire safety and other matters.
About 180 families had to
leave their homes and many continue to campaign for suitable alternative
accommodation.
Mr McFeely avoided going
back behind bars last July after successfully overturning a contempt of court
judgment. The developer appealed against a judgment that he broke court orders.
He had been ordered by the
High Court in Dublin to carry out remedial works at Priory Hall, but was
sentenced and fined when he did not.
Barristers for Mr McFeely
appealed it was impossible for their client to comply with orders because he
had been evicted from the site.
