Brendan "Bik" McFarlane was today remanded until next October by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on charges connected with the 1983 kidnap of supermarket executive Mr Don Tidey.
McFarlane (49) of Jamaica Street, Belfast, is charged with falsely imprisoning Mr Tidey in 1983 and with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life at Derrada Wood, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, between November 25th and December 16th, 1983.
McFarlane was the leader of the IRA prisoners at the Maze prison in Northern Ireland and escaped in a mass break-out in September 1983. He was later arrested in Amsterdam, extradited to Northern Ireland and released on parole from the Maze in 1997.
McFarlane's solicitor, Mr James MacGuill, told the court that judicial review proceedings are still pending in the High Court and it was unlikely that they would be determined before next October.
The court remanded McFarlane on continuing bail of £100,000 until October 1st. McFarlane was arrested by gardaí in January 1998 and charged in connection with the Tidey kidnap.
Supermarket executive Mr Don Tidey was kidnapped by an IRA gang in 1983 and rescued after 23 days. A trainee garda and a soldier were killed in a shoot-out with the gang.