Gerard Hutch, the gangster known as 'The Monk' and who the Spanish Justice system keeps free on bail after his arrest in Lanzarote, has finally been left without a seat for the Dublin Central constituency, as confirmed this Sunday by the vote count of the Irish general elections on Friday.
What has been one of the most extravagant news stories of these elections has not had the outcome expected by this 61-year-old Dubliner, as the final count denied him the last of the four seats that this electoral district contributes to the Dáil (lower house), where some of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods of the Irish capital are located.
Hutch, a 'non-party' candidate, competed in Dublin Central against professional politicians such as the leader of the leftist Sinn Féin and the opposition, Mary Lou McDonald, or the Christian Democrat Paschal Donohoe, Minister of Public Expenditure and President of the Eurogroup, who were elected.
The Social Democrat Gary Gannon and the Labour Mary Sherlock also won seats, the latter taking the 'Monk's' seat, famous for his daring robberies, by a handful of votes.
The Dublin mobster is free on bail after being arrested in Lanzarote last October and is considered by the Irish Justice system to be the leader of one of the most dangerous organized crime organizations in the country.
Hutch has stated during the campaign for these elections that he is not worried about his arrest in Lanzarote, where he resides for much of the year, and that he is "innocent".
His arrest took place on October 25th along with eight other people for alleged money laundering offenses in the context of an international criminal organization, following a joint operation by the Spanish and Irish security forces, who also searched his home in Dublin.
Days later, the Investigating Court number 2 of Arrecife released him on bail of 100,000 euros and decided not to impose additional precautionary measures.
In this regard, the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands explained that the judge and the prosecutor in the case understood that withdrawing Hutch's passport or imposing any other restriction beyond bail could cause irreparable damage to his right to run in the elections, while recalling that only a final judgment can prevent him from running in those elections.
Most of his electoral campaign took place online, as he is threatened with death by the rival gang of the Kinahan family, one of the most persecuted organized crime organizations in the world.
Both mafia families have been at war since 2016, which has claimed 18 lives to date, mostly on the Hutch side.
