Appeal for Irish man held in France

THE FAMILY of a Tipperary man held without charge in a French prison since March have appealed to the Department of Foreign Affairs to help secure his release.

Paul Barrett (38), from Fethard, had the truck he was driving impounded by French customs authorities on March 7th. He was not detained and returned to Ireland as a foot passenger by ferry.

A week later, his employer asked him to return to France to collect the truck at Caen. Upon arrival, he was arrested by French police and transferred to Lille where he has been incarcerated.

His mother, Joan Barrett, has received no explanation from the French Ministry of Justice other than a letter from a court-appointed solicitor informing her that her son faces charges “of a serious nature” which are being investigated by a judge.

However, Mr Barrett has not been charged with any crime. When his case was raised in the Dáil earlier this month by Tipperary South Fine Gael TD, Tom Hayes, Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche said the case allegedly related to “the transportation of a large amount of illicit cigarettes”.

He confirmed the Department of Foreign Affairs had provided consular assistance but said the State “cannot interfere with” the “legal proceedings in another jurisdiction”. Under French law, a person suspected of a crime can, in certain circumstances, be jailed while a judge investigates the case.

But Mrs Barrett said her son was “entirely innocent”. She said he believed he was transporting apples to Smithfield in Dublin.

She has been unable to telephone her son but said he was allowed to write occasional letters.

She said Mr Barrett was “never in any kind of trouble and had never come to Garda attention” and asked: “Why are we in the EU if he can’t get out on bail?”

Mrs Barrett acknowledged an Irish Embassy official in Paris had visited her son and said she had met Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin but claimed “he is doing nothing for us”.