Brian Meehan, the man facing extradition to this State on charges of murdering the journalist Veronica Guerin, comes before an examining magistrate in Amsterdam today. The hearing, which was expected to have taken place yesterday, is to establish that he is lawfully in custody before the extradition proceedings can begin.
This morning Mr Meehan (32), from Crumlin, Dublin, is to be handed over to the Dutch public prosecutor's office by the Amsterdam police, who arrested him in the city last Friday.
Mr John Traynor (49) from Knocklyon, Dublin, who was arrested with Mr Meehan, is now believed to have left the city, having been released from custody at the weekend. The Garda said no extradition warrants were available for Mr Traynor - whom they had not expected to find in Mr Meehan's company - and that they were not yet ready to seek his extradition.
There was speculation yesterday that the Garda's Guerin murder investigation team has been working to persuade Mr Traynor to turn State's evidence, and give it information on the murder gang. The speculation was heightened by the early release of Mr Traynor from custody in Amsterdam.
Commenting on the speculation, a senior Garda officer said: "We try that with everybody. It would be nice if it happened."
The investigation team has already persuaded two important members of the gang to give evidence.
Mr Traynor is believed to have headed back to the Dutch-German border area where he had been in hiding with Mr Meehan before the two came into Amsterdam on Friday to meet Mr Meehan's girlfriend. She had been followed by a Garda surveillance team as she travelled from Dublin.
Detectives believe Mr Traynor may be running short of money. He and Mr Meehan were found to be carrying little more than £100 in local currency when they were arrested after the meeting with Mr Meehan's girlfriend last Friday. The woman returned to Dublin and was arrested by gardai yesterday. It is expected she will be released some time today.
Mr Traynor had been a source for Ms Guerin's articles on Dublin's criminal underworld, although he later told the High Court their relationship soured because she accused him of drug dealing.
The gardai who were in Amsterdam for the arrests by the Amsterdam police have now returned to Dublin. Provisional extradition warrants for Mr Meehan have now been replaced by new papers.
Today a public prosecutor will take charge of Mr Meehan to bring him before a magistrate. Under Dutch criminal law the magistrate is to determine if the arrest of Mr Meehan was justified, and if the offence for which he is held carries a custodial sentence of 12 months or more. A lawyer from the legal aid service will be appointed to Mr Meehan if he has none of his own.
The prosecutor's office said yesterday that if the magistrate is satisfied on both points, he can direct that Mr Meehan is kept in custody, for up to 20 days from the date of arrest.
The Irish authorities would have until November 3rd to make a formal request to a court for his extradition, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office said.
After that date a judge will set a date for trial, which would be before a non-jury court with three judges sitting. If the court concludes that extradition is justified, the case is then passed to the Ministry of Justice.
Mr Meehan may seek the assistance of an Irish Embassy official in Amsterdam. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said yesterday he has the right to be informed that a consular official is available to see him, and to request a visit. Up to yesterday evening no such request had been made by Mr Meehan.
The Department said it would have no other involvement unless liaison was needed later between the Dutch and Irish authorities at a ministerial level, in which case representations from the Irish Department of Justice would be made through the Irish Embassy in The Hague.