Gardaí have confirmed that they are working on the possible extradition of a US "right-to-die" activist who was present at the suicide of an Irish woman in Dublin early last year.
The Rev George Exoo denies assisting the suicide of Ms Rosemary Toole Gilhooley, who was suffering from depression and died in a rented house in Donnybrook in January 2002. But he admits being present when she ended her life.
Responding to a Sunday Independent report that his extradition and that of an assistant were being sought, the Garda Press Office confirmed that a case relating to Mr Exoo alone was being processed by the extradition section at Garda headquarters.
A spokesman said the DPP had recommended charges in the case, and there could not be charges unless he was extradited. However, he added that extradition was a "fairly drawn-out process".
Ms Toole Gilhooley is understood to have paid $2,500 to Mr Exoo and an assistant, in respect of air fares and hotel and other expenses. Garda investigators have studied her computer records and have liaised closely with the FBI.
