Martin not to raise Garland issue

THE ISSUE of a US extradition warrant against former Official IRA leader Seán Garland will not be raised by the Government delegation travelling to the White House to mark St Patrick’s Day, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said.

A group campaigning for Mr Garland’s cause yesterday called on Government members to discuss the matter with the Obama administration during their visit to Washington next week.

The US is seeking to extradite Mr Garland over allegations he took part in a major counterfeiting operation involving North Korea and the Russian mafia. It is alleged he conspired with others to produce large quantities of high-quality counterfeit $100 notes.

Mr Martin, who is among the delegation travelling to the White House, yesterday said legal matters such as Mr Garland’s are not raised during such meetings.

“I don’t get involved in legal issues like that. The courts have to be allowed take their course.”

Mr Garland (76) is to appear in High Court to face extradition charges again on March 24th.

One of his supporters, Rev Chris Hudson, minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Belfast, said the US should withdraw the extradition warrant and invite Mr Garland to attend next year’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations in recognition of his role in the Northern peace process.

“Seán Garland is not only an innocent man but an Irish patriot who dedicated his life to progressive causes and to ending political violence,” he said.

Rev Hudson said he hoped US president Barack Obama would consider Mr Garland’s case with more compassion than his predecessor George W Bush.

He also said Mr Garland was in poor health, having undergone cancer treatment, and he would be concerned about this if he were extradited and imprisoned in the US while awaiting trial.

Support for the campaign to stop extradition proceedings against Mr Garland has grown to include Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Féin members of the Oireachtas, members of the Northern Assembly and the European Parliament, as well as academics, entertainers, trade unionists and local authorities.

Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews, who opposes the extradition, said he had written to Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who is also travelling to the White House, about issues including Mr Garland’s case.

“He’s an elderly man and I think on purely justice and humanitarian grounds he should be unburdened of this,” he said.