Staff at the Spanish restaurant where The Monk was arrested say they would welcome him back to eat there.
Gerry Hutch, 60, was lifted by undercover officers at the Limoncello eatery in the southern resort town of Fuengirola in August 2021.
A specialist Guardia Civil unit had been tracking him for several weeks before moving in as he awaited his meal with a female companion.
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One staff member at the restaurant told the Irish Mirror they were aware that Hutch had been cleared of murder at the Regency by the Special Criminal Court in April.
He said he knew Hutch by sight, had been present on the night of the arrest and could confirm there had been “no sign of him” since.
The Monk is known to have flown to Lanzarote four weeks after he was cleared but gardai believe he is likely to stay on the move to avoid becoming a target for Kinahan assassins.
The worker, who did not wish to be named, said Hutch would be served without problem if he walked through the door again.
He added: “For us, it’s all the one. All of our customers are welcome here, once they are not doing anything against the law, like anywhere else in the world. We do not judge people.”
The Monk offered no resistance to Spanish police on the afternoon of his arrest and even found time to joke with a Garda liaison officer who was present as an observer that he must be “roastin’ in that jacket”.
Gardai have lost track of Hutch since he left the jurisdiction and have simply been able to advise their Spanish colleagues of the potential security risk his presence creates.
However, there is no reason for police there to monitor Hutch beyond that as he has not committed any crime on Spanish territory and is a legal resident of the Canaries.
While the veteran crimelord surprised gardai by spending so much time in Dublin following his acquittal, they believe he sees his future abroad for security reasons.
An initial continuous watch on his home address in Clontarf was eventually scaled back to monitoring by passing patrols as the force was unable to tie up a car just sitting on the property.
Hutch is also known to have millions of euro worth of assets stashed in Spain and is thought to have returned there initially to keep an eye on them.
Sources told the Irish Mirror that the eternally cautious former armed robber did not trust anyone else to look after his money.
Meanwhile, the probe into the GSOC officer who attended the Monk’s welcome home party after he was found not guilty continues.
Gardai have been patiently interviewing several Garda Ombudsman staff members on their interactions with the man to get a full picture of what led to the incident.
The Irish Mirror has learned the GSOC officer, who resigned immediately once the incident became public, has since claimed to gardai that while he did enter Hutch’s home in Clontarf that day, he only did so momentarily as he was there to pick someone up.
The former investigator, who is in his 60s, is understood to have claimed to have innocently gone into the premises – but claimed he was not invited in, and has no prior relationship or inappropriate contact with Hutch.
The Garda probe is centring on whether there was any prior relationship or inappropriate contact between the officer and Hutch or anyone else connected to him.
It may take some time before it is handed then to the DPP.
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