Government must act on involvement of organised crime in boxing
Labour Party Leader, Alan Kelly TD has written to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade seeking immediate action from the Government on the involvement of the Kinahan organisation in an international boxing event.
Deputy Kelly said:
“We as a country can’t tolerate a situation where one of the biggest boxing events in the world facilitates the whitewashing of a figure who has been named in our courts as the controller of an international drug gang.
“The Kinahan organised crime gang has destroyed lives and communities in our country. In the Dáil today I questioned the Taoiseach on what the response of the Irish Government would be, and he said there had been contact between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the United Arab Emirates. However, we need immediate action.
“Following that exchange, I have written to the Tánaiste. I have asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs now to intervene with the UAE government to ask them to prevent any such boxing activities from proceeding that have ties to the Kinahan group’s known criminality and proceeds of crime.
“I have also asked the Government to write to broadcasters, sports promoters and other relevant companies to highlight the Kinahan group’s activities and to tell them that any promotion or association with such events would not be acceptable to the Irish government or the Irish people.
“The Government has to act in relation to this. The sport of boxing should not be used in such a way, and this affront to the Irish people cannot be tolerated.”
ENDS
A copy of the letter is available here
https://www.labour.ie/download/pdf/alan_kelly_td_letter_to_tnasite_simon_coveney_110620.pdf