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THE HIGH COURT has asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether the former president of the Workers’ Party, Sean Garland, may be prosecuted in Ireland for his role in the alleged distribution of counterfeit US dollars.
The court ruled two weeks ago that Garland, 76, could not be extradited over charges that he assisted in the distribution of counterfeit $100 ‘Superbills’, printed in North Korea.
Publishing its ruling this morning, however, Justice John Edwards said he was referring the case to the DPP, in order to ascertain whether Garland should face charges in Ireland over the alleged counterfeiting.
This was because the offences for which Garland was wanted by the United States had technically been committed in this jurisdiction.
The court ruled, however, that Section 15 of the Extradition Act of 1965 – which says extradition cannot be granted when the alleged offence had taken place in this State – prohibited Garland from being extradited.
Documents submitted by the United States to the court showed that in seeking to obtain and distribute the counterfeit notes, Garland had travelled to and from Ireland with those notes in his possession.
The counterfeit notes are alleged to have originated in North Korea, which supplies the notes to diplomats who then sell them to others at a discount in exchange for legitimate US currency.
Garland, with an address in Navan, Co Meath, had been a key figure in the Official IRA after it split with the Provisional IRA in the late 1960s.
He had been arrested in 2005 on foot of an extradition warrant issued by US authorities, while attending the Workers’ Party Árdfheis in Belfast. He was released on bail and travelled to the Republic, where he was again arrested in 2009.
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I wonder what causes more disruption to air travel, Unions or Terrorists? I’d say Unions!
You’d wonder about SIPTU’s real agenda in all this. That deficit didn’t just happen overnight. It’s as much the workers fault as the company’s. the trustees either put too much trust in fund managers, or took their eye off the ball completely. Personally I think SIPTU are more worried about Croke park than anything else. Using Aer Lingus workers is a smokescreen.
The union guy won’t give up his wages during this dispute! I hope the union looks after these people.
They will, they provide strike pay to their members.
Here we go again! Ryanair will be laughing, counting their profits.
not quite, don’t forget they own just under 30% of Aer Lingus shares as well, strike action won’t do their value much good…
Last time they went on strike Ryanair leased a/c’s and crew to Aer Lingus and Ryanair operated some of their flights, probably just do the same again
Hard to listen to a man who paid himself €1.3 million last year accusing the workers of featherbedding…
The unions have wanted this strike for some time. They get to shut down the country and show how powerful they are. They’re ok with their big wage packets, while they screw the ordinary people of this country. Not nice people!
Hey, idiot, the Union doesn’t decide when people strike, the workers do
Their as bad as the teachers almost for striking
If you become an employee of a semi-state company – as aer lingus was – you are compelled to join their pension scheme. It’s a requirement. If you are required to join the surely the company that insists you Join has an equal responsibility to ensure the fund is properly managed and has a funding plan that is both acceptable and practical? Workers are just fighting for their pension rights.
Spot on Seafra. The comments above blaming “the unions” seem to imply the big boys in Liberty Hall are putting a gun to the heads of their gullible members to force them to strike. It’s the majority of Aer Lingus workers that made the decision and fair play to them for fighting for their pensions.
I reckon the government will introduce a law that will allow companies losing money due to strikes to hire new staff or fire the striking party! they did it in America in the 80s when air traffic controllers striked and shut one half off the country down, the government simply passed a law because because they seen it a potential threat to the economy and fired them all replacing them with the many people that were looking for work at that time.
Please don’t strike I’m flying with them late next month, haven’t had a break in years. I’m living for it :(
For the past 25 years at least it is the same old story with Air Lingus
Yawn yawn
have your say