Five people have been charged and sent for trial at Galway Circuit Court for alleged money laundering offences.
Solomon Abiola (29), Jordan Curtis (21), Lucky Oviawe (29), Franklin Nwokeiwu (25), and Sultan Olanlokun (27) all appeared before Galway District Court recently.
The court heard evidence from Garda Jason Kelly that all of the accused had been served with books of evidence that day.
The five men have been charged with different offences under Section 7 of the Criminal Justoce (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act.
Sultan Olanlokun, of Baylough, Athlone, has been charged with aiding and abetting the commission of money laundering, by giving Lucky Oviawe an AIB atm card with which to withdraw funds.
The other four men have been charged with converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing, or using property that is the proceeds of crime, while knowing or being reckless as to whether it was criminal proceeds.
Oviawe, who also has an address at Baylough, Athlone has been charged in relation to three withdrawals from an ATM, totalling €600.
Solomon Abiola, of Shackleton Manor, Lucan faces one charge related to using a bank card to withdraw €600 from an ATM, as well as paying for petrol, and two iphones valued at €2,580.
Jordan Curtis, with an address at Blackpine, The Naul in Co. Dublin has been charged in relation to €5,000 credited to an An Post account in his name.
Franklin Nwokeiwu, of Fearann Rí, Doughiska, Galway, faces similar charges, also for €5,000 credited to an An Post account in his name, and the same amount in a KBC account.
All of these offences are alleged to have occurred over two days in December of 2019, at locations within the state.
Nwokeiwu has also been charged in connection with €6,500 credited to a Bank of Ireland account in his name in November of 2019.
The court heard that the DPP has consented to the five men being sent for trial at the next sitting of Galway Circuit Court for criminal business, starting in June.
Judge John King cautioned each of the men that if they intended to rely on an alibi, it must be provided to the state before their trial.
All of the accused were remanded on bail to their next court date, with free legal aid awarded to all five.
