Daniel Kinahan has been called out as a crime cartel boss on the floor of the Dáil who is trying to "re-brand himself as a boxing promoter".
And Alan Kelly has called on the Taoiseach to “intervene” after gangland chief Mr Kinahan was lauded as a successful international boxing promoter this week.
The Labour leader told the Dáil that people in the boxing and sports TV industries need to know about Mr Kinahan’s sick legacy ahead of the huge boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in the UAE that he is promoting.
Mr Kinahan has been publicly credited by Mr Fury for getting him the multi-million dollar fight with fellow heavyweight champ Mr Joshua this September.
But Mr Kelly said the country “owes it to the victims of the cartel” to let the international sporting community know the history of Mr Kinahan, one of Ireland’s most notorious criminals.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in reply told Mr Kelly that he has been in touch with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities to warn them about the promoter’s dodgy past.
Mr Kinahan has suddenly shot to the top in international boxing promotion after heavyweight boxing champ, Mr Fury, name-checked him as the man who’s making his upcoming world title fight in the UAE happen.
Mr Kelly said: “There is an individual from our country who, according to the High Court, is a very senior figure in organised crime on a global scale.
"According to the Criminal Assets Bureau, he has controlled and managed the operations of the Kinahan organised crime group for some time.
“He’s now re-branding himself in the Middle East as a boxing promoter and one of the most famous individuals involved in that has described him as ‘a smart, able and honest man.’
“Taoiseach, our country has to intervene here.
“We have to, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, intervene with the UAE in relation to this individual.
“We owe it to the victims of such a cartel, our country needs to do this and needs to do this today.
“We also need to communicate very strongly with certain sports companies and other companies involved in this at this important juncture.
“And I would ask you through the Department of Foreign Affairs and through the Minister for Foreign Affairs to highlight how important this is for us because of the parasitic criminal activity of this individual and all associated with him.”
The Taoiseach responded: “I was rather taken aback to see Tyson Fury in his video the other day just dropping in that name that you mentioned as if this was not somebody who has quite a chequered history in this State and elsewhere.
“And while I can’t comment on any particular Garda investigation, I can certainly assure you that there has been contact between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the authorities in the United Arab Emirates about that matter.”
