Ross appeals today against extradition

The Cork-born financier Mr Finbarr Ross is to appeal a decision that he be extradited from the United States in a hearing in Denver, Colorado today.

A three-judge panel in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeal will hear argument from counsel for Mr Ross that a district court in Muskogee, Oklahoma was wrong when it decided in April that the statute of limitations did not apply in the case, because Mr Ross was a fugitive.

The RUC is seeking the extradition of Mr Ross to Northern Ireland to face 41 fraud charges relating to the collapse of his company, International Investments Ltd, in 1984.

Counsel for Mr Ross will argue that he moved to the US prior to the alleged offences and so could not be accused of having moved to the US as a fugitive. They will also argue that Mr Ross was living openly in the US since 1983, and the RUC could have sought his extradition to Northern Ireland within the five-year statute of limitations.

Mr Ross has been held in Muscogee City Federal Jail, Oklahoma, since his arrest on March 4th last by the FBI on foot of an extradition warrant from the RUC. A bail application was refused on the grounds that Mr Ross was a fugitive.

It is likely the Denver court will reserve its decision. If the court rules against Mr Ross he can apply to the Supreme Court for a review of the case, though it is a matter of discretion for the court whether it considers the case or not. Mr Ross may also appeal to the US State Department on grounds other than legal ones.

Mr Ross, who has in recent years been active in the Light of Christ Community Church in Oklahoma, has been receiving financial support from friends in the US. His legal bills to date are understood to be approximately $50,000.