MR John Gilligan, who is facing charges of drug trafficking, was remanded in custody until May 21st at Woolwich Crown Court yesterday, pending a judicial review of the charges against him.
If the judicial review fails, the court was told, the Crown Prosecution Service would seek permission for up to 50 witnesses in Ireland to give evidence in the case to a senior Dublin lawyer before his trial in September.
Mr Gilligan was arrested at Heathrow Airport last October as he attempted to hoard a flight for Amsterdam. Customs and Excise officials allegedly found £330,000 concealed in his suitcase in British and Northern Ireland sterling, and Irish pounds.
He is facing charges under Section 49 1(a) of the Drug Trafficking Act 1994 and Section 50 (1) of the same Act. Section 49 deals with the concealment of money to avoid a drug trafficking offence, while Section 50 refers to another person's proceeds of drug trafficking, either directly or indirectly.
The third charge under Section I of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981, is related to the removal of the proceeds of drug trafficking from Britain.
During yesterday's hearing Mr Gilligan instructed his counsel, Mr Mark Harris, to assure any witnesses that he had no desire to prevent them from giving evidence.
The judicial review of Mr Gilligan's charges will be held in a London divisional court on May 14th, at which Mr Gilligan's legal team will argue that he has no case to answer. In the event that the judicial review fails Mr Gilligan would return to court on either May 21st or 22nd when a decision will be made on the evidence of Irish witnesses. Commenting on the large number of potential Irish witnesses, Judge Hubert Dunn, said he felt the whole trial could be held in Ireland.
However, Judge Dunn explained that alter hearing detailed legal argument there was a possibility that Mr Gilligan's trial would not go ahead in September if the judicial review succeeds.