Alleged crime gang leader Daniel Kinahan appeared by video link from prison when his case came briefly before the Special Criminal Court on Monday afternoon.
Kinahan was charged last August with directing an organised crime group between 2015 and 2017 and remanded in custody to Portlaoise Prison.
When the case was called just after 2.30pm on Monday, barrister David Perry said he was asked to appear by solicitor Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law.
Counsel said Mackin was not in a position to attend court on Monday due to unexpected other matters elsewhere. Mackin wished the matter to be put back for a week to allow him to make a formal application to come on record for Kinahan, Perry said.
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Counsel also asked the court to direct that Kinahan appear in person in court next Monday.
Judge Caroline Biggs, presiding at the three-judge court, adjourned the matter to then to facilitate the application to come on record and ordered that Kinahan be brought to court as requested.
When Kinahan appeared before the court in person on August 9th last, two hours after arriving in Ireland following his extradition from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he was not legally represented.
It is understood he later approached a number of criminal lawyers in relation to taking on his case privately. If he applied for legal aid, he would have to provide a statement of means.
At the August 9th hearing, he said he did not have time to arrange representation and had assumed a family member would have contacted some legal representation. He was told he would have time to put in place a legal team before the case returned to court.
He was also told he had the option of appearing in person or via video link at the next hearing. He had indicated he wished to appear in person but then opted for video link for Monday’s brief mention of the case.
Kinahan faces a single charge of “directing the activities of a criminal organisation” between October 18th, 2015, and April 6th, 2017, contrary to section 71a of the Criminal Justice Act 2006, as amended.
He was the first Irish person extradited from the UAE under a new permanent extradition treaty, which came into force last year. He had lived in Dubai with his wife and five children for the last 10 years. He was arrested in Dubai in April on foot of an extradition request from Ireland and was in custody there until he was extradited.
