Gardaí investigating the murder of Latvian mother-of-two Baiba Saulite have issued a fresh appeal for information on the first anniversary of her killing.
Detectives believe Ms Saulite was murdered by a man known to her. The chief suspect is involved in organised crime and detectives believe he paid other criminals to kill the 28-year-old from Riga.
Ms Saulite was shot dead as she smoked a cigarette in the hallway of her home in Holywell Square, Feltrim Road, Swords, on Sunday, November 19th, 2006.
Her two young sons - Ali-Alexsandra (5) and Mohamed Rami (3) - were asleep in the house when their mother was shot dead. She was buried in her native Riga in December last year.
Gardaí want to speak to anyone who was in the Holywell estate on the night of the murder.
Ms Saulite knew she was in danger. She had been threatened and was in constant contact with gardaí. Her solicitor, Swords-based John Hennessy, had been given Garda protection in the weeks before her killing.
He went abroad for safety reasons for a short period after the murder. He returned to work at his legal practice before the end of last year but he is still under armed Garda protection.
Gardaí are working on a definite line of inquiry and to date have arrested a large number of criminals. These include the man they believe ordered the killing while he was serving a jail sentence.
However, while a file on the case has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, nobody had been charged.
A number of Dublin-based foreign nationals who are linked to the chief suspect have been arrested and released without charge. Gardaí have also arrested members of the crime gang formerly headed by Finglas drug dealer Martin Hyland, who was shot dead by his own gang last December. A member of one of Limerick's feuding gangs has also been questioned.
Gardaí in Swords can be contacted at (01) 666-4700. Anybody with information can also contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 250 025.
