[Article]Colombia lodges formal extradition request for Irish trio

Nuttzz

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2005/09/14/story220691.html

The Colombian authorities have reportedly lodged a formal request for the extradition of the three Irishmen convicted of training anti-government rebels in the South American country.

Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan fled Colombia after being convicted earlier this year and jailed for 17 years each.

They recently returned to Ireland and turned themselves in to Gardaí before being released without charge.

Reports this morning said papers requesting the extradition of the trio were sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

However, it remains unclear if the men will be sent back to Colombia, with legal experts predicting such a move is highly unlikely.

Colombia has no extradition treaty with Ireland and its poor human rights record would be strong grounds for blocking any extradition

It will be interesting to see the pressure that the government will be put under to send these convicted criminals back to serve their terms.

Sadly I can see Bertie buckling to the SF mob and not sending them back.

zuma

They should go back as they are convicted criminals who have absconded from their prison sentences!

But....it would be a bad precedent if an extradition treaty is setup with Colombia just for these 3 idiots!!!

Mabye if they were conveniently found handcuffed to a PSNI station....it could make this whole episode disappear...nudge...nudge!!!

Nuttzz

Nuttzz wrote:

Sadly I can see Bertie buckling to the SF mob and not sending them back.

And if he did,would it be much worse than other concessions made unpalletable as they were to develop a peace process?

Ok SF the IRA or whoever made these guys presence public were stupid in doing so, they should have left the whole thing quiet in their own best interests.
That said, you are dealing with a movement that thinks differently to yourself, completely differently.

Given that we have reached the stage that we are at, I would suggest that actively promoting their return to Columbia would be an unnecessary provocation.

It would be pragmatic to leave them alone but of course make it plain to them that they are subject to ROI laws now and any future lawbreaking means due process.

Why muck up a process or anger a whole section of people who have been persuaded to move from what is considered a poisonous position of murder galore to what we have today over these 3 people.
Moving on is more important I would suggest.
If they or anyone else is to be arrested from now on,let it be for lawbreaking from this point on.
Thats the rock that the peace process here is founded on and it's one that has saved a good many lives despite what one thinks of the past and the ideology that was behind the murder fest that was the NI troubles.

Nuttzz

so basically sinn fein membership is a



These men broke the laws of another country, they shouldnt be given any special treatment.

The IRA is a spent force, Gerry and Marty can nearly taste the power and the political acceptance for SF and arent going to allow these 3 ruin that on them

mike65

Ahh but what about the 'War on Terror'?

Mike.

A Dub in Glasgo

These men should be treated like any other men in a similar situation ie Extradition request from Colombia considered and the court system in the RoI rejects the request.

Meh

Nuttzz wrote:

Sadly I can see Bertie buckling to the SF mob and not sending them back.

It's not up to Bertie, it's up to the courts. And I think the courts will let Bertie off the hook, I can't see an Irish judge sending them back to a country with the human rights record that Colombia has. The best we can hope for is that they are jailed here for using false passports to get back home.

Lemming

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

These men should be treated like any other men in a similar situation ie Extradition request from Colombia considered and the court system in the RoI rejects the request.

Why would it automatically be rejected out of a sense of playing Devil's Advocate? Because they're bom .. er I mean SF representatives?

A Dub in Glasgo

Lemming wrote:

Why would it automatically be rejected out of a sense of playing Devil's Advocate? Because they're bom .. er I mean SF representatives?

From my knowlege of previous extradition cases, the Supreme Court would not authorise extradition in this case. The people who are advocating the extradition of these men irrespective of any concerns or because they are republicans are the ones who are riding roughshot over judicial concerns.

murphaph

Meh wrote:

It's not up to Bertie, it's up to the courts. And I think the courts will let Bertie off the hook, I can't see an Irish judge sending them back to a country with the human rights record that Colombia has. The best we can hope for is that they are jailed here for using false passports to get back home.

Agree 100%. We all know they were't bird watching but we also know the Colombian regime is not very pleasant. I'm generally on the side of law and order, but we shouldn't throw these 3 scumbags to the lions because Jeffrey Donaldson says we should. It is highly unlikely that anyone else would be extradited to Colombia so unfortunately the same must apply to these individuals. Prosecute them for whatever crimes they can here and then send the two british passport holders to the United Kingdom if that is at all possible and let the british government deal with them. I hate the idea of them hiding in my country when they're british citizens.

murphaph

murphaph wrote:

Agree 100%. We all know they were't bird watching but we also know the Colombian regime is not very pleasant. I'm generally on the side of law and order, but we shouldn't throw these 3 scumbags to the lions because Jeffrey Donaldson says we should. It is highly unlikely that anyone else would be extradited to Colombia so unfortunately the same must apply to these individuals.

Agreed

Prosecute them for whatever crimes they can here and then send the two british passport holders to the United Kingdom if that is at all possible and let the british government deal with them. I hate the idea of them hiding in my country when they're british citizens.

That especially the last bit is very comedic We don't know how they got back to Ireland and I suspect if it was on a private boat,the Guards don't know either.
It probably was by boat as with the current eagle eyes on passport control through foreign countries,it would have been difficult in the extreme to avoid being caught if being transited through other countries.
Ergo theres nothing there to prosecute them on as I've no doubt that they are Irish citizens and its not illegal to be in possesion of a forged foreign passport here or at least thats what I remember the Gardaí saying.It's only illegal when you use it to transit other countries or enter other countries illegally-but the crime is committed there and not here.
Afaik then they are entitled to enter their own country.

zuma

murphaph wrote:

Prosecute them for whatever crimes they can here and then send the two british passport holders to the United Kingdom if that is at all possible and let the british government deal with them. I hate the idea of them hiding in my country when they're british citizens.

The problem is that once in the UK they'll be shipped off to Colombia as the UK has an extradition treaty with them!!!

I heard about a month ago that the Colombians were trying to get the 3 extradited from legislation signed in the late 1800's between them and the then British Empire...as we were then part!!!

Tell me if I'm wrong but were all 3 born in Northern Ireland(UK) anyway???

murphaph

zuma wrote:

The problem is that once in the UK they'll be shipped off to Colombia as the UK has an extradition treaty with them!!!

I heard about a month ago that the Colombians were trying to get the 3 extradited from legislation signed in the late 1800's between them and the then British Empire...as we were then part!!!

Tell me if I'm wrong but were all 3 born in Northern Ireland(UK) anyway???

Just because the UK has an extradition treaty with Colombia doesn't mean they'll be extradited. A UK judge would have to decide if it was appropriate in the circumstances. People have been spared extradition to the United States from the UK before as they would have faced the death penalty over there. Under no circumstances would the UK extradite someone if they faced capital punishment! It's always a case by case basis.

Aren't 2 of them UK passport holders and 1 of them is Irish?

I doubt it'll be possible to dump them in the UK but I wish it was.

A Dub in Glasgo

murphaph wrote:

then send the two british passport holders to the United Kingdom if that is at all possible and let the british government deal with them. I hate the idea of them hiding in my country when they're british citizens.

Then send? You mean deport Irish citizens to the UK? or extradite Irish citizens to the UK?

They are in their own country!

hill16

Zuma you should get your facts right before you coment on something. :mad:

murphaph

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

Then send? You mean deport Irish citizens to the UK? or extradite Irish citizens to the UK?

They are in their own country!

I was under the impression two of them were british citizens, maybe my mistake? stems from all the confusion as to what passports (real or otherwise) thes guys were travelling on. If they're all bona fide irish citizens then clearly they can't be deported from Ireland. If the we have no charges to press against them and the UK seeks their extradition for whatever reason thn they should be extradited to the United Kingdom. They may be in their own country, but they have brought shame on that country and the fact that they're basically hiding from justice here is sickening.

Hobbes

It would be much easier if Colombia asked the US to extradite them first.

TBH, follow the letter of the law, which I don't know offhand but suspect it would mean that they would have to have a fair trial and instances where death sentance is carried out would not allow the extridition.

Or they could do what all IRA do (unless they closed this loophole). many years back I saw a guy smash in a window of the DART and then hang around while he got arrested. Appeared that if you were arrested for another crime in Ireland you couldn't be shipped off elsewhere (an IRA guy as far as I know wanted by the UK).

zuma

hill16 wrote:

Zuma you should get your facts right before you coment on something. :mad:

Tell me what facts I got wrong???

Victor

Hobbes wrote:

Or they could do what all IRA do (unless they closed this loophole). many years back I saw a guy smash in a window of the DART and then hang around while he got arrested. Appeared that if you were arrested for another crime in Ireland you couldn't be shipped off elsewhere (an IRA guy as far as I know wanted by the UK).

I'm not sure about that. The prosecution service of a country will usually defer minor charges where there is an extradition warrant for a serious charge.

rsynnott

I can't imagine they'll be extradited to such a dodgy country. An acceptable compromise would be to jail them here.