May.12, 2010, 14:13:16

A Cork man was involved in a money laundering operation involving the proceeds of the 2004 Northern Bank robbery on behalf of the IRA, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin was told today.

Prosecuting counsel Mr Remy Farrell BL said that the evidence established that Tom Hanlon was engaged in money laundering transactions for days and weeks before his arrest in February 2005.

He said there was clear evidence of "a sustained and organised operation" of money laundering and that Hanlon was involved in it.

He said that there was clear evidence that the money laundering operation was to fund the operation of an unlawful organisation, the IRA.

He was making the closing prosecution submission in the trial of Hanlon (aged 43), of Pembroke Row, Passage West, Co Cork who has pleaded not guilty to IRA membership on February 16, 2005.

In his closing submission for the defence, Mr Michael Vallely BL said that there was no direct evidence of Hanlon being in possession of money from the Northern Bank robbery.

Mr Vallely also submitted that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hanlon was a member of the IRA on February 16, 2005.

During the five-day trial, the court heard evidence from Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Quilter that he believed, on the basis of confidential information, that Tom Hanlon was an IRA member in February, 2005.

The court also heard that gardaí found a Sinn Féin chequebook, photocopies of "joke" Northern Bank notes with images of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, two cheques for the so-called Colombia Three campaign and other documents in Hanlon's bedroom.

Gardaí who carried out searches in the Cork area in February, 2005 found £2.4m sterling (€2.8m) in seven bags in a locked cupboard in a house owned by financial adviser Mr Ted Cunningham.

DNA samples taken from Hanlon matched DNA taken from the zip handle of one of the money bags.

The court was told that at least £26m sterling (€30.5m) was stolen from the Northern Bank in Belfast in December 2004.

The court has reserved judgment in the trial until a later date.