Criminal Assets Bureau

The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is an independent statutory body that was established by the Criminal Assets Bureau Act, 1996. The bureau’s statutory remit is to carry out investigations into the suspected proceeds of criminal conduct. 

CAB identifies assets of persons which derive, (or are suspected to derive), directly or indirectly from criminal conduct. It then takes appropriate action to deprive or deny those persons of the assets and the proceeds of their criminal conduct. The legal basis for this action is the Proceeds of Crime Acts  1996 to 2016, and Social Welfare and Revenue legislation. 

CAB uses a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary partnership approach in its investigations into the suspected proceeds of criminal conduct. It works closely with international crime investigation agencies, and has successfully targeted proceeds of foreign criminality from countries such as the US and the UK. 

CAB also works with international bodies such as the European Commission and Camden Assets Recovery Inter-agency Network (CARIN). CARIN is an informal network of law enforcement agencies, who share knowledge and information on how to trace assets in a member’s country. Significant benefits accrue in the international arena from this multi-agency approach.   

Criminals are continually becoming more adept at hiding the fruits of their criminal conduct. In order to continue to identify and trace such assets and to present testimony before the Courts, CAB has:

• Established the Bureau Analysis Unit
• Adopted international best practices in the area of forensic analysis
• Adopted the use of enhanced training

CAB also targets middle-ranking criminal. While this approach may not realise extensive financial returns, it demonstrates CAB’s ability to react to local community concerns. Accordingly, this approach is seen as an effective use of CAB’s resources. 

CAB prepares an annual business plan taking into account the Garda Síochána Policing Plan. It continues to support the roll-out of the Garda Divisional Profiler programme through providing lectures, training and expertise. In turn it receives intelligence, information and evidence from profilers. CAB will continue to support and utilise the fruits of this programme. CAB is engaged in a series of briefings of Joint Policing Committees to promote its work and to seek information from the public.

Recent CAB Annual Reports are available in the Publications Section of the website of An Garda Síochána.

CAB has launched an independent website and can be accessed here.

CAB can be contacted at:

Chief Bureau Officer

Criminal Assets Bureau

Walter Scott House,

Military Road,

D08 PTX6

Tel: +353 1 6663266
Fax: +353 1 6663296

Email: info@cab.ie