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| £1m 'criminal' assets are frozen | £1m 'criminal' assets are frozen |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| More than £1m worth of property in Manchester belonging to a brother of an alleged IRA leader has been frozen. | |
| Nine properties belong to Francis and Judy Murphy of County Louth. Francis Murphy is a brother of Thomas Murphy, alleged to be the IRA's chief of staff. | Nine properties belong to Francis and Judy Murphy of County Louth. Francis Murphy is a brother of Thomas Murphy, alleged to be the IRA's chief of staff. |
| The Assets Recovery Agency claimed the properties were bought using the proceeds of money laundering and fuel smuggling. | |
| It has been looking into the purchase of 250 properties worth more than £30m. | It has been looking into the purchase of 250 properties worth more than £30m. |
| The agency has now been granted a High Court order to freeze 10 residential properties. | The agency has now been granted a High Court order to freeze 10 residential properties. |
| The other property, worth £450,000, belongs to a Manchester-based businessman. | |
| Thomas Murphy's farm, which straddles the border, was also raided as part of the agency's investigation. | Thomas Murphy's farm, which straddles the border, was also raided as part of the agency's investigation. |
| Documents were seized from premises last year | |
| In its application to the High Court, the agency alleged that Mr and Mrs Murphy built their property portfolio on "wealth derived from money laundering and fuel smuggling in Ireland". | |
| The nine properties subject to the order are mainly in the Trafford and Stretford areas of Manchester. | |
| These 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, Britannia Road, Manchester, which changed its name to FTM Properties (UK) Limited in August 2006. | |
| These include four flats - one worth £119,200, two worth £109,200 and one worth £111,300. | |
| Records seized | |
| There are a further three houses worth £185,000, £128,000 and £109,100. The equity in these properties is about £381,000. | |
| The freezing order means the properties cannot be sold while the investigation continues. | The freezing order means the properties cannot be sold while the investigation continues. |
| If the agency proves they were bought using the proceeds of crime, it will then sell the properties and keep the money. | If the agency proves they were bought using the proceeds of crime, it will then sell the properties and keep the money. |
| The court action follows searches made throughout the Manchester area in October 2005 in which the agency seized more than 350,000 records. | |
| Since then the agency has carried out a large scale forensic exercise, further searches and a number of interviews in the Manchester area. |