Latest news with #GerryHutch
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Gerry Hutch has brains to burn - and he's not finished with politics yet'
The Monk Gerry Hutch is like the cat with nine lives. Throughout his life he has managed to make money from a life of crime and stay one step ahead of the law at the same time. He says himself he was forced into criminality through poverty and deprivation, and like many others was left with no other choice. At the same time he recently made it publicly clear he does not want to see young people from his native North inner city of Dublin getting involved in crime like he had to as a kid. Gardai are still investigating the Monk for being head of the Hutch crime organisation. He claims he is innocent, Whether he will ever be prosecuted for this offence remains to be seen. The Three Judges in the Special Criminal Court also cleared him of the Regency Hotel murder of Kinahan henchman David Byrne and were dubious about the evidence of the State's star witness against him, the ex-Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall. Dowdall and his family are now in the Witness Protection Program and will be given a new identity and a new life abroad as part of the deal. Whether you like Gerry Hutch or not he has brains to burn and is a very clever guy. Whatever money he made from crime years ago he invested it wisely and built up a very successful property portfolio stretching from Dublin, London to Lanzarote where he lives most of the time, to Bulgaria and the United States. Independent candidate Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch outside RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin, (Image: Brian Lawless/PA Wire) He is a multi millionaire who has never forgotten where he came from or his humble beginnings. When Gerry Hutch speaks, he is a bit like Michael O'Leary in some respects, you need to pay attention. He has his finger on the pulse and talks a lot of sense. It was no fluke that he received over 3,000 first preference votes in last year's General Election and narrowly missed out on a Dail seat, finishing fifth in the Four Seater Dublin North constituency. He was 2,000 votes ahead going into the last 11th count and was then pipped at the post by Maria Sherlock of Labour who got a massive vote transfer. Instead of whining about why he lost, Hutch decided to educate himself about our Proportional Representation election system and personally contacted a number of academics to see what he could learn. This contact has resulted in him giving his views on Irish politics in a new book How Ireland Voted In 2024. He came to the conclusion that the single transferable voting system that Ireland uses favours the big established political parties which can distribute votes strategically among multiple candidates. He wrote: "This is what happened. I was over 2,000 votes ahead of the next candidate at one stage and looked likely to take the seat. However, an unusually high transfer between the established candidates meant I was overtaken at the last count. "This system highlights the challenges faced by Independents but also underscores the need for reform." But one of the big things he learned from the election was the absolute detachment of working class communities in deprived areas from politics. Many people, especially the youth, don't realise that they have to register to vote. Gerry Hutch revealed: "One critical insight I gained is that many working class individuals underestimate the power of the vote. Political parties benefit from the lack of awareness, as it maintains the status quo. "This has to change through both education and changing the requirements for citizens to register to vote. During my campaign I spoke to many people who were unaware that they needed to register to vote. "I strongly believe that everyone in Ireland should be automatically registered , allowing them to vote upon presenting ID at the polling booth. "The current system disproportionately affects working class communities and those less fortunate, as they must first navigate the registration process before they can even cast their votes. "Many of the households I visited and individuals I spoke to were unaware of the registration requirement and were disappointed to learn they had missed the deadline. The system benefits the established political order while doing very little to educate non voters on the importance and impact of participating in elections." Hutch has hit the nail on the head. If we are serious about getting people out to vote and not having the future of the country being decided every time by 65pc of the population who show up then we need to persuade the other 35pc to vote. The starting point for all of this is to get them on the voting register and to make it easy to do so. The big parties may privately not like it but there is little they can do. There needs to be a big national campaign to make it easier for people to vote. Gerry Hutch also believes that his recent arrest in Lanzarote last October over money laundering allegations was a " stitch up" because he was running for the Dail at the time. He is adamant that he committed no crime on the holiday island where he has a home and also rents out several properties to local people at affordable prices. The Monk is not finished with politics and is determined to run for the Dail again. We can now expect a massive registration drive in the North Inner city. In fact it should be happening in every constituency in Ireland. Let the smaller parties and the independents take note. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
The Irish Sun
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Gerry Hutch will ‘have to testify' & take the stand if alleged money laundering case proceeds, Spanish courts insist
GERRY 'The Monk' Hutch must take the stand in court if the case against him proceeds — Spanish authorities have told us. The 62-year-old Dubliner remains under investigation for alleged money laundering offences but he has yet to reappear in a Lanzarote court since Advertisement 4 Gerry Hutch is likely to appear in court in Spain Credit: Gary Ashe 4 The probe is centred on the alleged use of cash from criminal activities to buy properties and vehicles Credit: JUAN MATEOS 4 It is also assisted by the Gardai by sharing information and evidence Credit: PA:Press Association There was a series of raids in Advertisement Spanish authorities branded Hutch as 'an alleged leader of an international gang of criminals' and he was held in He was granted bail of €100,000 and returned to Ireland ahead of his bid for a Dail seat in In an update given to They told us: 'Mr Hutch is still under investigation. He has not reappeared at this time. 'If the case goes forward and is not dismissed, he will have to testify at the Advertisement We also understand that Hutch is 'likely' to be summoned to appear to testify in any preliminary investigation phase hearing if it is scheduled. The Spanish-led probe is centred on the Hutch Organised Crime Group's alleged use of cash from criminal activities to buy properties and vehicles in The investigation — which saw eight others also lifted — has been ongoing for more than two years, with Gerry Hutch returns to Ireland to make run for Dail official After the arrests, authorities in Spain said: 'They are being probed as alleged perpetrators of money laundering crimes committed within a criminal organisation.' In an interview last year, Hutch claimed the probe was being orchestrated by the Gardai to prevent him standing in the election. Advertisement He denied any wrongdoing when he returned back to BACK HOME FOR DAIL RUN Hutch ran for a Irish director The My Left Foot director was following Hutch with a camera crew as part of a documentary he is making about the election and the gang boss. 'If the case goes forward and is not dismissed, he will have to testify at the trial hearing if one is scheduled. The probe is ongoing, and its contents are not public.' Spokesman for the Canary Islands' High Court of Justice Speaking at the count centre in the Advertisement He said: 'I was thinking of just doing a small documentary about the election – that's all. I never thought he'd get in or have a chance.' RAGS TO RICHES & FAME GERRY 'The Monk' Hutch could soon become a Netflix star if Jim Sheridan gets his way. A trailer on the life story of the gangster, made by the award-winning producer and director, was sent to the global network for consideration earlier this year. Both Netflix and Sky have indicated to Sheridan they are interested in The Monk's rags-to-riches life story. The director has made a trailer on the proposed real-life story and it is being sent to them. Earlier this year a source told us: 'Gerry gave Jim his full co-operation and has given him several hours of taped interviews. Some of the stuff he spoke about is incredible. 'However, some clips may have to be refilmed because they are now outdated and have been overtaken by (recent) events. 'There will be huge public interest in his story and what he has to say. 'Both Netflix and Sky are now considering it.' Asked why he thinks people backed The Monk at the polls, Jim said: 'I just think it is anger at their position. Years and years of drugs and nothing happening in that community. 'Like some people are trying to help but there has never been, like since Tony Gregory, a cohesive attitude towards it or a focused attitude. 'Sheriff Street, I think that was the one thing they got wrong because it's like a blocked artery down there. 'It's crazy and it's in the shadow of all these IFSC and it's not really a real community. It's just one street now and you would just wish that something good was developed for it.' Advertisement DPP DECISION TO COME Hutch refused to rule out running for public office again after failing in his attempt to win a Dail seat last year. He has since continued to live between Ireland and Lanzarote. Meanwhile, the Director of Public Prosecutions is weighing up organised crime charges against him here in Ireland. Hutch walked free from the Special Criminal Court in April 2023, left, after he was acquitted of murdering the 34-year-old 4 Hutch ran for a Dail seat last year and just fell short in Dublin Central Credit: Reuters Advertisement
