A man detained by immigration officials in Dublin Airport yesterday is expected to be deported from the State today.
The man was last night named by RTÉ Radio as Mr Peter Foster, a convicted fraudster, who was at the centre of a scandal involving the purchase of two flats in Bristol for Mrs Cherie Blair, wife of the British Prime Minister.
The man was refused leave to land by the immigration officials when he arrived on a flight from Paris at 3 p.m.
A Garda spokesman said last night that it was expected the man would be detained in Mountjoy overnight and sent back to wherever he came from today.
Last December, Mr Foster dropped an appeal against deportation from the UK.
The controversy surrounding the purchase of the flats became known last year as the "Cheriegate" affair. It caused considerable embarrassment to the Blair family, with Mrs Blair breaking down at a highly-charged press conference to answer allegations that she had not been frank in her explanation about her association with Mr Foster.
The controversy intensified when it emerged that Mrs Blair had telephoned Mr Foster's solicitors about immigration proceedings against him.