The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) in Britain has been granted orders in the High Court in London freezing residential properties belonging to a brother of an alleged IRA leader.
Nine residential properties in Manchester belonging to Francis and Judy Murphy of Ballybinaby, Co Louth are the subject of Property Freezing Orders (PFO) obtained by ARA.
Francis Murphy is a brother of "Slab" Murphy - an alleged former IRA Chief of Staff - who has been under investigation by both the ARA and the Criminal Assets Bureau in the Republic in relation to a suspected multi-million euro smuggling and money-laundering empire.
The granting of today's order follows an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service.
The ARA claimed that the properties, which are worth close to stg£1.5 million. In its application to the High Court, the ARA alleges that Francis and Judy Murphy built their property portfolio on wealth derived from money laundering and fuel smuggling in Ireland.
The nine properties subject to the freezing order include two houses owned by Judy Murphy, worth £70,056 and £188,071 each, plus a further seven properties registered to Francis and Judy Murphy's property firm, Sailor Property (UK) Ltd, which changed its name to FTM Properties (UK) Ltd in August.
