A man has been charged with laundering almost half-a-million euro while living in Tipperary five years ago.
Zahid Ahmed Begum, with an address in Birmingham, was arrested at Dublin Airport Wednesday evening after being extradited from the UK.
The 49-year-old appeared before Dublin District Court on Thursday afternoon where he was charged with 53 counts of money laundering amounting to a total of €447,336.
His arrest followed an investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau into Business Email Compromise fraud, whereby fraudulent invoices are sent to companies.
Detective Garda Shane Fitzsimons told the court he arrested Mr Begum at Dublin airport at 6.35pm on foot of an arrest warrant and brought him to Ballymun Garda Station where he was charged.
The Irish Times reports that Mr. Begum has been living in Birmingham, England, in recent years, and had an interpreter in court on Thursday.
He is accused of possessing the proceeds of criminal conduct on two dates.
On the 19th of October 2017 he is charged with having just over €273,000 in his bank account in AIB in Cahir, Tipperary and with having just over €174,000 in his account on November 3rd 2017.
The remaining charges relate to transferring money to accounts in the UK in various sums of between five and twenty-thousand euro as well as transferring a sum of money into a separate account with his name on it.
Defense solicitor Peter Connolly, said his client would be denying the charges and there is a presumption of innocence.
An application for legal aid was made but an application for bail was not made on the day – according to the Irish Times Detective Shane Fitzsimons, told the hearing he would object to any such application.
The DPP has directed that Mr Begum be tried by indictment.
Judge John King granted legal aid and remanded him in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court via video link on Thursday, 5 January.
