A High Court inquiry will be held on Monday into the legality of the detention at Dublin Airport by immigration officials of a Russian mother and her eight-year-old daughter.
A Dublin solicitor, Mr Con Prendred, told Ms Justice Carroll that Ms Julia Popova and her daughter, Tanya, had a visa when they arrived yesterday at the airport.
He was informed by an immigration officer, Garda Denis Gaffney, that the visa might be fraudulent and that many such visas were issued fraudulently.
Mr John Deegan, counsel for the mother and daughter, said Mr Pendred was solicitor to Mr Michael Gelosov, a Russian national seeking asylum here who claimed Ms Popova and Tanya were his wife and daughter.
He said the couple arrived in Dublin from London on a week's visit for a holiday, to learn better English, and had a visa. Mr Pendred was being instructed that they were seeking asylum.
Mr Deegan said it was intimated to Mr Pendred that deportation was quite a possibility.
Mr Pendred told Ms Justice Carroll the couple spoke only Russian, and an Aeroflot employee had acted as interpreter. The employee asked the mother and daughter if they knew Mr Gelosov and they said they did not.
Mr Pendred said it was his honest belief that the mother and daughter were frightened of the authorities here and the woman was frightened she might damage the status of her husband.
Mr Gelosov claimed the woman was his wife although the woman was claiming she did not know him and that the child was not his daughter.
Ms Justice Carroll ordered an inquiry into the legality of the couple's detention and returned the matter for Monday. She asked the authorities to certify the grounds of detention and also to provide a Russian interpreter.