Nigerian Man Accused in €800,000 Credit Card Fraud Scheme Linked to AI-Generated Fake Documents and Weekly Benefit Trips to Ireland

A Nigerian national based in London has been charged in connection with a large-scale money laundering and fraud investigation involving alleged losses of more than €800,000, with a court hearing revealing that he was travelling weekly to Dublin to collect social welfare payments. The accused, father-of-seven Olatunde Salawe, is facing multiple charges arising from an investigation conducted by the Garda National Economic Bureau into the alleged use of artificial intelligence-generated false documents to obtain over one hundred credit cards.

Salawe, aged 47 and listed as having no fixed address in London, was charged on 16 September 2025 with a money laundering offence involving possession of €3,300 suspected to be proceeds of crime. He is also charged with possession of a false instrument relating to April 2025. In addition, he faces eight counts of theft, each involving €254, allegedly committed on separate dates between November 2025 and March 2026. He was refused bail after appearing before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court on Saturday.

Detective Garda Shane Devereux of the GNECB told the court that Salawe was arrested on Thursday morning after disembarking a Ryanair flight and was taken to Ballymun Garda Station, where he was detained for questioning and subsequently charged. According to the detective, the accused made no response when the charges were put to him.

The court heard allegations that Salawe used AI-generated documentation to secure approximately 145 credit cards, which resulted in an estimated loss of €804,000 to a banking institution. It was further alleged that he travelled from London to Ireland on a weekly basis between September and March in order to collect Jobseeker’s Allowance payments to which he was not entitled. Although he has no fixed address in Ireland, the court was told he holds an Irish passport.

The GNECB opposed bail on the grounds that the accused represented a flight risk, arguing that he had limited ties to Ireland and access to false documentation. Detective Devereux stated that Salawe had not attempted to contact relatives in Ireland when given the opportunity to make a phone call while in custody, instead contacting his mother in Nigeria. The court also heard that some of his friends in Dublin are themselves under investigation.

Defence counsel Greg Murphy, instructed by solicitor Peter Keatings, disputed the prosecution’s position, arguing that the accused has substantial connections in Ireland, including friends in Dublin and two adult children living in the country. The defence also emphasized that Salawe has no previous convictions and no history of failing to appear in court, and argued that the case currently before the court relates specifically to €3,300 in alleged proceeds of crime, eight minor theft charges of €254 each, and possession of false documentation.

Counsel further submitted that the presumption of innocence applied and suggested that the matter could be dealt with at District Court level. However, Detective Devereux informed the court that a file is being prepared for submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), indicating the possibility of more serious charges being considered.

Judge Finan noted that at this stage she could only consider the charges currently before the court. The accused, who did not give evidence during the bail hearing, was granted legal aid but was ultimately remanded in custody. He is scheduled to appear before Cloverhill District Court on Friday.

By fLEXI tEAM