A bid by jailed loyalist paramilitary chief Johnny Adair to be set free will be challenged by the British government at a private hearing tomorrow.
The Northern Ireland Sentencing Review Commission is to consider its preliminary ruling to release the former Shankill Road Ulster Freedom Fighters chief from prison.
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| Johnny Adair |
Mr John White of the Ulster Democratic Party, who will give evidence on Adair's behalf, said tonight he was confident the commissioners would reinforce their preliminary decision to free him.
"I said from the outset that it was wrong to return Mr Adair to prison and I think the Secretary of State made a serious mistake when he did that. He should now rectify it," he said.
Adair was among the first prisoners to be allowed out of the Maze Prison as part of the Prisoner Release Scheme created under the Belfast Agreement.
But at the height of the loyalist feud in north and west Belfast which left seven men dead, he was re-arrested and sent back to jail to serve out the remainder of his 14-year sentence.
Lawyers acting for the Secretary of State will seek to overturn the commission's preliminary findings, arguing that Mr Mandelson's decision to rescind his licence was based on sound security advice.
Adair was re-arrested during a swoop on the Shankill area by the security services on August 22.
Mr Mandelson was said to be furious at the commission's decision to reinstate his licence and immediately lodged an appeal. The oral hearing, which begins tomorrow, is expected to last for two days.
It is understood that NIO officials are confident that the commission will reverse last month's decision. If it does not, there could be a court battle between Mr Mandelson and the commission.
But John White believes that Adair will soon be a free man: "When the Sentencing Review Commissioners looked at the evidence put before them by the NIO, they saw then it wasn't strong enough to revoke Mr Adair's licence.
"The Secretary of State should have done the honourable thing then and released Mr Adair," he said.
PA