FOUR Tyrone men have been returned for trial over alleged criminal property offences linked to an investigation arising from the infiltration of the EncroChat encrypted communications system.
The charges relate to alleged money transfers involving a Tyrone company and, in one case, almost £192,000 allegedly transferred to a bank account in the United Arab Emirates.
Appearing at Dungannon Magistrates Court for committal proceedings were Michael Lynch (38), of Tristan Road, Strabane; Peter Loughran (51), of Tamnamore Road, Dungannon; Nolan James Scarlett (47), of Terrenew Road, Dungannon; and George McGarrigle (63), of Barron Road, Dunnamanagh.
All four face charges relating to the transfer or acquisition of alleged criminal property, with the alleged offending said to have taken place between March 10, 2019 and August 11, 2020.
The case centres on ML Trading NW Limited, a company owned by Lynch and registered with Companies House as a wholesaler of agricultural machinery, equipment and supplies.
The company remains listed as active but is currently subject to an application for strike-off and has not filed accounts since 2020.
Lynch, who is the sole owner of ML Trading NW Limited, is accused of entering into an arrangement suspected of facilitating the use or control of criminal property through transfers into and out of the company.
He is further accused of acquiring criminal property through transfers totalling £49,995 from ML Trading NW Limited to Formil Plant Hire Limited, of which he was a director, and a further £16,102 to his Santander bank account.
It is also alleged he converted criminal property by making cash withdrawals from the Santander account.
Loughran is accused of conspiring to transfer money to ML Trading NW Limited and conspiring with others to remove criminal property, including transfers totalling £191,740 to an Emirates NBD bank account.
He is also charged with converting criminal property through transfers totalling £79,559 from the Emirates NBD account to Lisa Loughran.
McGarrigle is accused of entering into an arrangement relating to the suspected acquisition of criminal property through ML Trading NW Limited and of acquiring criminal property through transfers totalling £101,950 to Mourne Recycling Limited and £40,453 to GMG Livestock Limited, companies of which he was a director.
Scarlett faces a single charge of conspiring to transfer criminal property, namely cash, to ML Trading NW Limited.
A prosecuting lawyer told the court there was a case to answer, which was agreed by District Judge Francis Rafferty.
All four men spoke only to confirm their identities and that they understood the charges.
