PROMINENT republican Thomas “Slab” Murphy has been given a date in November to appeal his conviction for tax evasion.
The 66-year-old, whose farm at Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, straddles the border, had pleaded not guilty at the non-jury Special Criminal Court to nine charges of failing to comply with tax laws in the Republic.
The three-judge Special Criminal Court found Murphy guilty on all counts and he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on February 26 last.
During case management procedures in the Court of Appeal on Friday, it emerged that a notice of appeal had been filed in March with extensive grounds of appeal of both the conviction and sentence.
The judge, Mr Justice Birmingham, provisionally fixed the case for three days from November 22.
Murphy was not in court for the hearing.
Last December, following a 32-day trial, Murphy was found guilty of nine charges of failing to furnish a return of his income, profits or gains or the source of his income, profits or gains to the Republic's exchequer from 1996/97 to 2004.
The Special Criminal Court in Dublin heard the 66-year-old bachelor farmer owed the exchequer almost €190,000 for eight years of tax dodging.
