Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2013
731. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if further measures will be taken with the Spanish authorities to target suspected Irish criminals and their assets in their jurisdiction; if the Criminal Assets Bureau is liaising with the Spanish authorities to target assets which may have resulted from illegal activities here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45691/13]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that the Criminal Assets Bureau liaises on an ongoing basis with law enforcement authorities throughout Europe and worldwide in the pursuit of assets derived from criminal conduct. Having regard to the particular issue raised by the Deputy, I am informed that the Bureau does liaise directly with its Spanish counterparts and explores all available avenues within the European Union legal framework to target criminally acquired assets and criminals operating between both jurisdictions. I would also like to assure the Deputy of the importance attributed at both national level and European level to continuing close cooperation between asset recovery offices across the Member States. In this regard, it is worth noting that both Ireland and Spain are currently members of the Steering Group of the Camden Asset Recovery Interagency Network (CARIN), which is an informal network of experts/practitioners dedicated to improving cooperation in all aspects of tackling the proceeds of crime. Specifically, CARIN aims to increase the effectiveness of members' efforts in depriving criminals of their illicit profits through cooperative inter-agency cooperation and information sharing.
