An all-Ireland winning former gaelic footballer who pleaded guilty on behalf of his company to converting almost £1.2 million in criminal property was today ordered to pay £100,000 in compensation.
Cathal James Short (48), of The Crescent, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, was due to stand trial in April along with his company C Short Ltd before Judge Gordon Kerr KC.
But before the trial was due to start, prosecution counsel Samuel Magee KC said that there had been a “development in the case’' and Short, as the only director of C Short Ltd, would be re-arraigned on the single count.
Short replied “guilty’' to the company converting criminal property.
The charge stated that between June 9 2010 and March 20 2012, C Short Ltd “converted £1,188,520 or thereabouts, which they knew or suspected, constituted or represented in whole or in part, benefit from criminal conduct or represented such a benefit”.
None of the facts surrounding the case were opened in court on Wednesday.
A previous court hearing revealed that between 2009 and 2012, an organised crime gang was responsible for a tax fraud which exploited the Construction Industry Scheme (‘CIS’) to enable subcontractors to evade the payment of tax.
The fraud involved the creation of sham companies which would receive payment in respect of construction works carried out but then become insolvent before any tax was paid to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Short’s premises were searched in March 2012 by an HMRC criminal investigation team and a number of documents seized.
After an extensive investigation, codenamed ‘Operation Concentric’, around 37 individuals were charged in July 2018 with offences arising out of and connected with the fraudulent scheme.
The court said C Short Ltd was a Money Service Business and the offending related to the cashing of cheque for and on behalf of various Belfast-based construction contractors.
Cathal Short was not charged with conspiracy to cheat the public revenue but with two counts under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, namely converting criminal property and failing to disclose money laundering by a nominated officer.
The money laundering charge was later dismissed by Mr Justice Colton and Mr Short pleaded not guilty to converting criminal property.
At the brief Crown Court hearing, Judge Kerr said it was agreed by all parties that the best way to dispose of the case was by way of a “civil penalty”.
The judge added that in those circumstances he would make a compensation order against C Short Ltd in the sum of £100,000. He also imposed a conditional discharge of two years.
At the request of defence counsel Liam McCollum KC, Judge Kerr ordered that a charge of converting criminal property levelled against Short as an individual be “left on the books and not to be proceeded with without the leave of this court or the Court of Appeal”.
Short, who sat in the public gallery during short hearing, played football with Crossmaglen Rangers as a forward and won three all-Ireland club championship medals and turned out for the Armagh county team.