A well-known solicitor has been arrested under anti-gangland legislation as part of a major garda fraud investigation.
He was one of three people detained by gardaí in Co Limerick as part of an ongoing probe.
The arrests relate to suspicions about the alleged facilitation of fraudulent personal injury claims.
The alleged frauds being examined date back between eight and ten years ago.
The investigation is being led locally, with the backing of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB).
It is thought a dozen detectives from the bureau are assisting local detectives with the investigation.
The arrests took place on Monday and periods of detention were subsequently extended.
The three were detained under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act.
This section relates to the offence of participating in or contributing to the activities of a criminal organisation in order to enhance a gang’s ability to commit a serious offence or to facilitate a gang in committing serious offences.
In the last three years, the GNECB have been involved in a massive nationwide trawl against solicitors who they suspect of being involved in criminal activity related to a number of separate cases.
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