Sir, – Fintan O'Toole is correct in saying that "there is no necessity, diplomatic or otherwise, for David Drumm to be held in conditions that are . . . cruel" ("Holding Drumm in prison until trial seems vindictive", Opinion & Analysis, January 13th). If Mr Drumm agreed to return to Ireland to face the charges laid against him, he would be released from the US prison system within hours. – Yours, etc,
Cllr JIM O’CALLAGHAN,
City Hall,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – I am no fan of bankers and might well be nasty enough to deny David Drumm a glass of water on a hot day. However, I agree with Fintan O’Toole that it is wrong that our Government condones the holding of a fellow citizen in the dreadful conditions of a US jail. Do we wish to be associated, however obliquely, with such shameful institutions? – Yours, etc,
CONSTANCE MORRIS,
Shankill,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole argues that David Drumm is “as entitled to bail as anyone else”. And in fact he is. If he lived in Ireland, he would probably be granted bail ahead of any eventual trial. But Mr Drumm chose to live in the United States, where those arrested under an extradition warrant are not normally given bail. Indeed, he has been treated “as anyone else” by the Massachusetts courts. If Mr Drumm wants to avail of bail under the Irish judicial system, all he has to do is go to Boston airport and hop on a flight to Ireland. – Yours, etc,
DIEGO FASCIATI,
Dublin 8.
Sir, – Yes, every human being should have their human rights vindicated, and all persons charged with criminal offences should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Accordingly, if there is any truth in the reports of the conditions in which David Drumm is being held, then this must be addressed by the US authorities.
The fact of the matter is that Mr Drumm himself has decided to fight the request for his extradition back to Ireland.
It is pending the hearing on this issue, which is a matter for the courts in the US, that he has been denied bail and detained in prison. It is customary for bail to be refused in these circumstances.
Presumably, from the perspective of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies in both countries, a person who is the subject of an extradition request has already left the country in which it is alleged he has committed a crime and refuses to return to the country to answer those charges.
If Mr Drumm volunteered to return to Ireland to face the charges, he would not be detained. The same rules apply to any individual who finds themselves in the same circumstances. – Yours, etc,
MADELEINE DELANEY,
Dublin 3.