The safety of the Irish public is being compromised by an apparent loophole in extradition legislation between Ireland and the Czech Republic which has allowed two of the Czech Republic's most wanted men to live openly here, the Labour Party has claimed.
The party's spokesman on justice, Joe Costello, has called on Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to raise the extradition loophole with his counterparts on the EU Council of Ministers.
"It has emerged that these men whose gang has been linked to murder, kidnapping and torture in the Czech Republic can avoid extradition as the European Arrest Warrant legislation that Ireland and the Czech Republic operate does not allow people to be extradited to the Czech Republic if the alleged offences predate November 2004," Mr Costello said.
He was speaking following reports in yesterday's Irish Times that two alleged members of the largest organised crime gang in the Czech Republic have been living openly in Dublin and Kildare for between two and three years.
Despite repeated requests from the Czech government for the men's extradition, the Government does not believe it is legally possible to extradite them. One of the men has been in Ireland for two years, the other has been here for three years. All of the offences in relation to which the two are wanted predate last November.
One source in Dublin said the legislative problem arises in the Czech Republic adding that that country would find it impossible to extradite the men from any EU member state. The Czech embassy in Ireland has refused to comment. A spokesman said last night that the embassy was "not involved" in "any issue that may be going on".
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