A Cavan woman and her ex-husband have received a fully suspended prison sentence for laundering nearly €180,000 of cash stolen from an education board in an invoice redirect fraud.
51 year old Zanab Ibrahim of Wolfe Tone Street, Cavan, and 54 year old Francis Falaye of Lobinstown Apartment, Navan, Co Meath, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to money laundering on October 31, 2014.
The court heard that close to €180,000 was taken through an invoice redirect fraud after the Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board paid a construction company for work carried out in a school in Tullamore.
A genuine invoice was sent to the board before the accounts department received an email, purporting to be from the construction company, instructing them to make payment to a Permanent TSB bank account.
The fraud came to light when the construction firm advised that they had not yet received payment.
An investigation was launched and it was discovered that the email had originated from the Czech Republic.
The court heard that Ms Ibrahim is responsible for the €178,965, which was lodged to a bank account in the name of a fashion boutique she owned in Co Cavan, while Mr Falaye is responsible for €50,000 that was later transferred to his bank account on November 3, 2014.
Yesterday, Judge Elma Sheahan suspended a prison sentence of two and a half years on condition each of the defendants keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
She also ordered that Mr Falaye pay a sum of €1,000 to the Peter McVerry trust.
