A Dublin businessman, Mr Peter Bolger, was the beneficial owner of a Mercedes 250 car seized on behalf of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), the High Court ruled yesterday.
Mr Bolger (44), of Glendown Lawn, Templeogue, Dublin, had challenged the seizure of the car by the Dublin County Sheriff, acting on behalf of the CAB, at Dublin Airport last September 18th.
On the same day, Mr Bolger was arrested under the Drug Trafficking Act by CAB officers and taken to Pearse Street Garda station, where he was detained for 14 hours before being released without charge.
Subsequent to the seizure, solicitors for a company named Louisville asserted that the Mercedes was owned by it.
The car, valued at £23,000, was registered in the name Louisville Ltd, of which Mr Bolger was a director.
CAB alleged Mr Bolger owned the car and claimed it was seized in part settlement of a £140,000 tax bill.
In a reserved judgment yesterday, Mr Justice Shanley rejected Mr Bolger's evidence.
The judge said he believed that the finance for the purchase of the cars was in fact provided by Mr Bolger out of his own monies. He believed that neither Louisville nor Trecom Holdings Ltd, another company in which Mr Bolger was involved, had provided any of the monies to purchase the cars.