The long running legal battle between convicted drug-dealer John Gilligan and the Criminal Assets Bureau over a number of properties in Dublin and Kildare moved a step closer to conclusion today.
The High Court ruled four properties had been bought in whole or in part with the proceeds of crime and not with legitimate earnings as claimed by Gilligan, his wife and two children.
The Court found Gilligan's explanations for the source of his funds were not credible.
Mr Justice Kevin Feeney described the evidence used by John Gilligan during the court case as 'untruthful, transparent, not credible and fabricated.'
His wife, Geraldine, and their children, Tracey and Darren, claimed a number of properties frozen by CAB in 1997 were not bought with the proceeds of crime.
The properties are a house, equestrian centre and surrounding lands at Jessbrook in Kildare; the home of his son Darren at 6 Weston Green, Lucan, Co Dublin; a house at Corduff Avenue in Blanchardstown; and his daughter Tracey's home at 1 Willsbrook View in Lucan, Co Dublin.
During a hearing in July, John Gilligan had claimed that he had earned large amounts of money from gambling on horses, in casinos, from carrying out foreign exchange transactions and that he had received a multi-million euro loan from a man named Joseph Sauma.
But Mr Justice Kevin Feeney said the figures even on Gilligan's own evidence did not add up.
Far from making a profit on betting on horses, Gilligan had lost at least half a million punts. He said Gilligan was someone who was willing to falsify evidence and to swear to matters which were untrue.
The judge said a more probable explanation for his income was his involvement in the importation and sale of illegal drugs. Gilligan is currently serving a 20-year sentence for possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
The judge ruled all the properties were bought with the proceeds of crime, although he found that some of the money used to buy and renovate Tracey Gilligan's home in Lucan came from legitimate earnings from her partner's family and a subsequent partner.
The legal proceedings have been going on for almost 14 years.
The court has yet to hear an application from CAB to dispose of the properties by transferring them to the Minister for Finance.
Another constitutional challenge by John Gilligan to the legislation has yet to be heard.
He is likely to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has yet to make a decision on whether he is entitled to legal aid.
