Man (47) linked to in €800k fraud probe flew to Dublin weekly to collect dole, court hears

Tom Tuite

A Nigerian man living in London, charged with money laundering connected to an €800,000 fraud, had been flying to Dublin weekly to collect the dole, a court has heard.

Father of seven, Olatunde Salawe, was charged in a Garda National Economic Bureau (GNECB) probe into the use of fake AI-generated documents to obtain more than a hundred credit cards.

Salawe (47) of no fixed address in London was charged with a money laundering offence on September 16th 2025, for possession of €3,300 in suspected crime proceeds.

He also faces a charge of possessing a false instrument dating back to April 2025.

In addition, Salawe is accused of multiple counts of theft of €254 on eight dates between November 2025 and March 2026.

He was refused bail when he appeared before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court on Saturday.

In evidence, GNECB Detective Shane Devereux stated Salawe was arrested on Thursday morning after disembarking a Ryanair flight.

He was taken to Ballymun Garda Station, where he was held for questioning and charged.

Detective Garda Devereux told a bail hearing that the accused made no reply to the charges.

The court heard that the accused allegedly used AI-generated documentation to successfully apply for 145 credit cards, resulting in a total loss of €804,000 to a banking institution.

Furthermore, gardaí alleged that the accused had been travelling to Ireland every week between September and March to collect Jobseeker's Allowance payments to which he was not entitled.

The court heard that, although the accused has no fixed address in this jurisdiction, he had an Irish passport.

The GNECB opposed bail, citing concerns that the accused is a flight risk with no substantial ties to Ireland but has access to false documents.

However, defence counsel Greg Murphy, instructed by solicitor Peter Keatings, strongly disputed this, arguing that his client has significant links to Ireland, including a network of friends in Dublin and two adult children living in the country.

The detective replied that, while detained, he had not sought to contact his relatives in Ireland when allowed to make a telephone call, but had instead called his mother in Nigeria.

He also told the court that some of the defendant's Dublin friends were under investigation.

Counsel emphasised that his client has no previous convictions or history of failing to appear in court.

The defence further noted that, at this stage, the matters before the court specifically concern €3,300 in alleged crime proceeds, eight thefts of €254 each, and the use of false documents.

The defence counsel argued that the accused had the presumption of innocence and that the case could be dealt with at the District Court level.

However, the GNECB detective responded that a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for more serious charges.

Judge Finan agreed that at this stage she could only consider matters currently before the court.

Legal aid was granted to the accused who did not testify during the bail hearing. He was remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Friday.