The Dutch Justice Minister is expected to approve a ruling by the Supreme Court that a Dublin man, Mr Brian Meehan, should be handed over to the Irish authorities on charges relating to the murder of the journalist, Ms Veronica Guerin.
The court decided yesterday that his extradition should go ahead, ending a seven-month courtroom battle by Mr Meehan.
The court's recommendation is being sent to the Dutch Minister for Justice, Mrs Winnie Sorgdrager. Under Dutch law all extraditions must have ministerial approval.
Ministerial extradition decisions normally take four to five weeks, but it is understood the Meehan case is receiving priority and may be disposed of much sooner.
According to a senior judicial source, it would be "extraordinary" if the Minister decides to overrule the Supreme Court, which upheld the decision of a lower court, ruling that Mr Meehan's extradition was legally admissible under the treaty between the two countries.
Announcing its verdict during a five-minute sitting in The Hague yesterday, the presiding judge, Mr Justice Pim Haak, ruled that Mr Meehan must be returned to Ireland to face charges of conspiracy to murder, possession of arms and ammunition and importing for resale large quantities of drugs. He said the Supreme Court rejected defence arguments that the facts for which his extradition had been asked in the first place were neither sufficient, accurate nor exact.
They were upholding the decision by Amsterdam District Court last December ordering Mr Meehan's return to Ireland to face 18 criminal charges. The court also upheld the judge's earlier rejection of a defence request to delay the case to hear witnesses, who could allegedly prove Mr Meehan innocent of involvement in the plot to murder the crime reporter, Veronica Guerin.
The Supreme Court's presiding judge announced that it would send its decision to Mrs Winnie Sorgdrager, and "it is up to her to decide whether Mr Meehan will definitely be extradited". Ministerial decisions on extradition can in theory go to a special appeal committee but in practice this rarely happens, according to a Ministry for Justice spokesman.
Neither Mr Meehan, his lawyer, nor any members of his family were in court to hear the ruling, which was summarised in English to facilitate an RTE film crew allowed inside the courtroom for the short hearing.
Mr Meehan, from Stanaway Road, Crumlin, was arrested in a dramatic police swoop in Amsterdam on October 10th after undercover gardai followed his 21-year-old girlfriend on a flight from Dublin. Also arrested and later released was another Dublin man, John Traynor, who is believed to be now living in Spain and who may also face extradition proceedings in relation to the murder. Another man, Mr John Gilligan, is in prison in England awaiting an appeal against his extradition on a charge of murdering Ms Guerin.
While detained in the Netherlands maximum security jail, Mr Meehan instructed his Dutch free legal aid lawyer to use every means possible to delay his handover to the Irish authorities.