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BOMB CASE FIVE 'HIDE CASH'
EXCLUSIVE
By DONNA CARTON

Lawyer suspects writ men's assets hidden
AN OMAGH bomb plotter has hived off millions and Omagh relatives say it is to avoid massive compensation payouts to victims' families.
One of the five defendants - who were served with writs this week, has signed away his assets to family and friends in a bid to escape seizure, legal experts believe.
But lawyers are working- to discover where the wealth has been hidden and what can be recovered.
Lawyer Jason McCue said: "We are monitoring the movement of the suspects in relation to their assets with interest and noting the developments."
When the relatives of the Omagh victims launched their landmark bid to sue the men they believe murdered their relatives, the accused took action to hide their fortunes.
Investigating lawyers believe Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy - all in custody - Seamus Daly and Seamus McKenna could, by now, have disposed of as much property and cash as possible.
But yesterday Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan 21, died in the Real IRA blast in August 15, 1998, said: "This has never been about money. It's about justice.
"We know we will never get a penny from these people. They will have squirrelled away everything they have to avoid having to hand anything over.
"That is not important. What is important is that we have our day in court.
"But we will go after whatever assets we can. We will put them under as much financial pressure as possible, if that is the only punishment open to us.
"Terrorists are in terrorism for financial gain, why should they be allowed to hold on that money?"
COLM MURPHY has signed huge assets away to his wife Anne. 52. and his children before he was jailed.
The 49-year-old, who was given 14 years for conspiracy to cause explosions, built up a fortune from property deals, land ownership and pubs.
But terrorist Murphy, who is also being investigated by the Criminal Assets Bureau, now claims to be broke.
The money he made was signed away before his trial in a series of financial transactions.
It was hidden to avoid the CAB and the Omagh families who were chasing him for compensation.
Twenty-nine people and two unborn babies died and more than 200 were injured when the Real IRA bomb exploded in the town centre.
According to officially registered deeds, former INLA member Murphy gave his share of the family home to Anne last December.
Murphy lived with his wife and children at Jordan's Corner, Dulargy, Co Louth, in the £127,000 house.
The father of four has also signed over his half of Emerald Enterprises to his wife, who was a co-owner, on April 1, 1999, six weeks after he was first charged by Gardai.
Documents from March 1998 show that Emerald Enterprises, which is the company that used to run his pub. The Emerald, Dundalk, was originally owned by both of them.
After Murphy was charged the republican godfather is believed to have set up meetings, called contacts and began burying his assets and trying to cover his tracks.
Murphy is believed to have made £1 million when he was the key developer of a group of seven luxury homes built in Co Louth.
The terrorist bought the land and began building the homes in 1998.
He has sold six of the plots, building homes each valued at £250,000 on four of them since 1998, according to the Land Registry. Murphy quit as director of his building firm Mountkean Construction on September 1, 2000, and was replaced by his wife.
It is thought, however, that Murphy still holds a half stake in the firm. When he was charged, Murphy is said to have cleared his bank accounts, giving the cash away.
LIAM CAMPBELL, 38, is a farmer and land owner. Like Murphy, he is a wealthy, middle-class businessman.
But the fear is now that he will have transferred assets in an effort to thwart the compensation claim.
Campbell, a convicted Real IRA terrorist, grew rich from border smuggling, and owns a ranch-style house set in five acres of land outside Dundalk.
Last October, the Dublin Special Criminal Court jailed him for five years for membership of the dissident group.
He is the Real IRA's Officer Commanding, the man police intelligence reports say organised the 500lb bomb that devastated Omagh.
Police found an underground bunker complete with walkie-talkies, a radio scanner, disposable body suits, 40 pairs of white cotton gloves, black insulating tape and small bore tubing similar to that used in home-made bombs at his house. The father of two claimed he had planned to fit a central heating boiler in the bunker.
The man who allegedly established the Real IRA, MICKEY McKEVITT is a man of substantial assets.
A home-owner, McKevitt, who led the "hawks" out of an IRA convention meeting in Donegal in 1997, has substantial business interests.
The former print business owner has interests in companies in the Dundalk area but it is believed the outlets are now in the name of a relative.
McKevitt is awaiting trial on charges of directing terrorism but denies guilt.
SEAMUS DALY, 31, is probably not as wealthy as some of the others.
Daly named during the Dublin court case that led to Colm Murphy's imprisonment, worked for Murphy in Louth and used to visit his Dundalk pub, the Emerald Bar.
He owns a home in Iniskeen, Co Fermanagh.
Mr Justice Barr said Murphy gave two mobile phones to "one Seamus Daly, a dissident republican terrorist" on the day before the Omagh bombing.
Veteran republican SEAMUS McKENNA was also on Murphy's payroll as a labourer. Police believe telephone records link McKenna to the bombing.
McKenna lives in rented accommodation. He is unlikely to have any assets.
Jason McCue, from the London firm Henry Hepworth Organisation, which is pursuing the law suit on behalf of the Omagh families.
He said: "Should the families be successful in their civil action and obtain an award of damages, they can then seek satisfaction of that judgment debt.
"Enforcement proceedings could be taken against assets belonging to the individual defendants and possibly assets of the Real IRA itself. If the court finds that assets have been transferred by a defendant with the intention of avoiding a judgment debt, then such transactions can, in certain circumstances, be undone.
"This will ultimately, however, be a matter for the court."
Last August, solicitors representing the families went to Belfast High Court and issued writs against the five men and the Real IRA itself claiming "damages as a result of the explosion of a bomb at Omagh town centre on 15 August 1998 for which the defendants and each of them are responsible".
Members of nine families were named as plaintiffs.
The men named in the writ may decide to ignore the action but the families can still put forward their case in open court and win a judgment I by default.
Lord Brennan, QC, will present the evidence that the families believe links the five men with the massacre.