A bid to extradite a Basque killer from Northern Ireland for encouraging Eta terrorists should be dismissed because it is riddled with potential inaccuracies and open interpretation, a court heard today.
Inaki de Juana Chaos (53), is fighting the move by the Spanish authorities to return him for trial on fresh charges.
The Eta member is accused of writing a letter encouraging the continuation of the armed struggle for an independent Basque state.
His barrister, Edward Fitzgerald QC, told Belfast Crown Court: "All we have got is a journalist writing down something which is alleged to have been said.
"We respectfully submit that, if the conduct alleged is to be the basis of a finding that would, if done in England, constitute a crime, it has to be identified with particularity and, indeed, with accuracy."
The lawyer, who has represented Moors murderer Myra Hindley in the past, said the translated phrase relied upon by the Spanish government meant "keep up the good work", which he said could be interpreted as a reference to the ordeal of fellow prisoners or a number of other ways.
Recorder Tom Burgess raised concern about the provenance of the document and added that he was concerned about hearsay.
Chaos, who denies the charges, has been living in west Belfast after he was freed from prison in Spain in August.
He served 21 years for his involvement in a 1980s bombing campaign in Madrid, during which 25 people, including police and soldiers, died.
A central argument before the court is whether the Spanish offence of urging a continuation of the armed struggle carried the necessary three-year sentence required for automatic extradition.
PA