MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern agreed that “tiger” kidnappings were funding further serious crime.

He was responding to Labour justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte, who said the only reasonable conclusion one could draw from such robberies was that they were carried out for the purpose of “funding and financing more serious crime and the trafficking of drugs into this jurisdiction”.

Mr Ahern said he concurred with Mr Rabbitte that large amounts of money were getting into criminals hands and feeding into their continuing crime, whether drugs, illegal firearms or another activity.

“This is another worry for the Government and the reason, as I stated publicly, we must redouble our efforts in this area, particularly with regard to the way in which banks go about their business. While I do not wish to comment on individual cases because people are before the courts, there is concern that large amounts of money are accessible to perhaps one or two individuals in banking institutions.”

Mr Rabbitte said €7.6 million had been taken in a recent robbery of that kind in a Dublin bank.

“How did an employee, admittedly one operating under duress, have such easy access to retrieve the amount of money handed over?

“The robbery was followed by press statements or behind-the-scenes briefings by the Garda that a great deal of the money was recovered. I understand that only a limited amount was recovered.”

Mr Ahern said he was advised by the Garda authorities that five tiger kidnappings had taken place to date this year.

“While it is a matter of public record that these included the robbery of a very substantial amount of money from the Bank of Ireland at College Green, I am advised by the Garda Commissioner that for operational reasons it is the policy not to disclose the sums involved in these incidents.”

Mr Ahern said detailed and comprehensive protocols and response procedures had been agreed between the Garda and the financial institutions to deal with situations where members of the staff or their families were taken hostage.

The Garda did not disclose them for obvious security reasons, he added.