One of the men found liable for the Omagh bombing should face extradition proceedings to Lithuania - where he is wanted on arms smuggling charges - in Northern Ireland and not the Republic of Ireland, a judge ruled in Belfast today.
Extradition proceedings were already under way in Dublin when Liam Campbell (46) crossed the Border into Northern Ireland where he was arrested by police.
Belfast Recorder Tom Burgess was asked to rule whether Campbell should be returned to Dublin where proceedings were well advanced or whether fresh extradition proceedings should be started in Northern Ireland.
He ruled today that he should not be returned to Dublin and that the Lithuanian authorities wanted the matter to be proceeded with in the North. Campbell, of Upper Faughart, Dundalk, Co Louth, was one of four men held responsible last month for the Omagh bomb atrocity.
A landmark judgment in a civil action brought by relatives of some of the 29 people killed in the 1998 explosion found “cogent evidence” that Campbell was a member of the Real IRA’s army council. The judge awarded relatives £1.6 million in damages against Campbell and three other alleged bombers.
Campbell is being sought in Lithuania over an alleged operation to acquire and ship guns and ammunition, explosives, detonators and timers from the eastern European state to Ireland. He was arrested in South Armagh last month after crossing the border into the village of Bessbrook to take his wife to work.
Ruling that Campbell should face extradition proceedings from Northern Ireland to Lithuania, Judge Burgess said: “The judicial authority issuing this warrant sent it to Northern Ireland and to the Republic of Ireland at or about the same time, in circumstances where they would have had no control over, or knowledge of, within which jurisdiction it may be executed.”
In the event of January of this year the warrant was executed in the Republic of Ireland and matters would have rested there if Campbell had remained in that jurisdiction, said the judge.
The judge said he had chosen of his own free will to come into the northern jurisdiction and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) that arrested him under the warrant which had been certified in January this year.
“I find no reason to impart to the PSNI any bad faith or abuse of their powers.
“They were arresting someone under an instrument duly issued by a judicial authority in a Part 1 Territory. That judicial authority has advised that it wishes the matter to proceed in this jurisdiction.”
The judge conceded that it was clearly an unusual set of circumstances but there was no reason why the process of extradition should not now take place in Northern Ireland following Campbell’s decision to enter that jurisdiction.
Campbell was remanded in continuing custody until Friday when he lawyers will make a bail application before Judge Burgess.
PA