The Great Chinese Garlic Sting

[Baron von Biffo]

Smuggling is not a "white collar crime" and does not become one because the person involved happens to be a business person any more so than a street mugging would become a white collar crime if it happen to be carred out by an accountant or a banker. You consistently use these terms incorrectly.

We've kicked that subject to death already in this thread.

If you wish to make the charge that this case has received all the publicity it has because of some family connections you should be able to spell out what these connections are and not resort to cheap innuendo.

We both know that you will not be able to come up with anything. What has driven public interest has been the GUBU nature of the sentence.

All I know of Begley is what's in the media.

When I see a criminal get blanket sympathetic coverage that's entirely uncritical and it extends to his family being given time on the foremost news broadcast in the country to plead his case, I smell a rat.

There's never been a case like it here before where a convicted criminal had that sort of media support - Not even for similar crimes. The only logical conclusion I can come to is that he has connections to someone with the clout to swing it.

It is entirely appropriate to point out the shocking sentencing history of this judge which is quite rightly becoming an increasing matter of public concern.

And Richard started a thread specifically for that.

http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?t=12391

[PaddyJoe]

Court of Criminal Appeal will hear Paul Begley's case tomorrow.

[Baron von Biffo]

Court of Criminal Appeal will hear Paul Begley's case tomorrow.

IBEC members greet the news.

[Sam Lord]

Court of Criminal Appeal will hear Paul Begley's case tomorrow.

About time. And the great shame is that the Court will only be able to reduce the sentence appropriately. It should really be able to give Nolan a huge root up the hole.

[Dr. FIVE]

Today's Mail saying himself and Quinn have struck up a friendship in the clink.

probably bollox

[Sam Lord]

Today's Mail saying himself and Quinn have struck up a friendship in the clink.

probably bollox

Is he in the training unit?

[PaddyJoe]

Today's Mail saying himself and Quinn have struck up a friendship in the clink.

probably bollox

Ah now. There'd be an awful lot of empty pages if you didn't have de stories

[barney]

I say it's baloney. There is no rhyme nor reason in it. The Judge said he was a decent man and he was paying the debt off. Now he won't be able to.

Fingers and Fitzie walk free.

those rogues always will

[fluffybiscuits]

IBEC members greet the news.

Brilliant !

[Baron von Biffo]

About time. And the great shame is that the Court will only be able to reduce the sentence appropriately. It should really be able to give Nolan a huge root up the hole.

The court could increase the sentence appropriately. It would be a wonderful development if it did just that to send a clear message to other white collar parasites that taxes aren't just for the little people.

[DCon]

The court could increase the sentence appropriately. It would be a wonderful development if it did just that to send a clear message to other white collar parasites that taxes aren't just for the little people.

It would not be a consistent message though would it?

The courts treat White Collar crime differently and not all White Collar criminals are treated the same.

Application of the law is a very vague thing in Ireland in general, but gets even murkier the higher up the food chain the alleged perpetrator is.

[Baron von Biffo]

It would not be a consistent message though would it?

The courts treat White Collar crime differently and not all White Collar criminals are treated the same.

Application of the law is a very vague thing in Ireland in general, but gets even murkier the higher up the food chain the alleged perpetrator is.

If it was inconsistent with what has gone before it would be a very good thing. The state is entitled to review how it deals with different types of crime and take into account an increase in prevalence of a particular type of crime or the greater damage different crimes can cause at different times.

Every cent the likes of Begley deprives the state of has to come from the the rest of us through increased tax or cuts in services. Add to that the fact that he was giving himself a competitive advantage over his honest competitors which further damages the economic and social interests of the state.

Begley got less than a third of the maximum sentence for the crimes he was convicted of. It would be a very good thing if the Appeal Court added a year on each of the two counts that attracted no sentence at the original trial.

[grainne whale]

If it was inconsistent with what has gone before it would be a very good thing. The state is entitled to review how it deals with different types of crime and take into account an increase in prevalence of a particular type of crime or the greater damage different crimes can cause at different times.

Every cent the likes of Begley deprives the state of has to come from the the rest of us through increased tax or cuts in services. Add to that the fact that he was giving himself a competitive advantage over his honest competitors which further damages the economic and social interests of the state.

Begley got less than a third of the maximum sentence for the crimes he was convicted of. It would be a very good thing if the Appeal Court added a year on each of the two counts that attracted no sentence at the original trial.

Well said, enough of this 'cute hoorism'.

[Sam Lord]

The court could increase the sentence appropriately. It would be a wonderful development if it did just that to send a clear message to other white collar parasites that taxes aren't just for the little people.

Smuggling has never been a white collar crime.

[Sam Lord]

If it was inconsistent with what has gone before it would be a very good thing. The state is entitled to review how it deals with different types of crime and take into account an increase in prevalence of a particular type of crime or the greater damage different crimes can cause at different times.

I wish they would review serious crimes like savage violence against women and how judges like Nolan treat those cases.

Every cent the likes of Begley deprives the state of has to come from the the rest of us through increased tax or cuts in services.

He evaded an import duty that goes to the EU and was introduced to support Spanish garlic farmers. It has nothing to do with Irish taxation. If it was an Irish tax fraud he would be walking around scot free like one of your TD's and half the ruling circle in Ireland.

Add to that the fact that he was giving himself a competitive advantage over his honest competitors which further damages the economic and social interests of the state.

That he was getting any sort of advantage is a dubious proposition for reasons I have already pointed out on the thread. And to suggest that not paying the right duty on some imported garlic "damages the economic and social interests of the state" is the most ridiculous hyperbole.

Begley got less than a third of the maximum sentence for the crimes he was convicted of. It would be a very good thing if the Appeal Court added a year on each of the two counts that attracted no sentence at the original trial.

Well it won't do that because it will try to maintain some consistency in sentencing policy and how he was treated as has been pointed out on the thread was truly bizarre.

And it is also bizarre the way you are baying for his blood.