Ireland agrees extradition treaty with United Arab Emirates

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Ireland has agreed an extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates, a week after a senior figure in the Kinahan organised crime group was arrested in Dubai.

Sean McGovern, who was named in the Special Criminal Court in Dublin as one of the leaders of the criminal organisation, was arrested by police in what the Garda Commissioner described as an “important intervention”.

The Government approved the bilateral treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance with the UAE at an incorporeal Cabinet meeting on Friday morning.

The treaty will be brought before the Dáil chamber for approval before the domestic procedures necessary to allow the treaties to enter into force are completed.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said that due to the “increasingly transnational nature” of organised crime, Ireland needs to strengthen co-operation with other countries on criminal matters.

Negotiations with the UAE on bilateral treaties began last year.

“The signing of these treaties is the culmination of extensive engagements I have had with my counterpart, the Emirati Minister of Justice, His Excellency Abdullah Bin Sultan Bin Awad Al Nuaimi, about ongoing co-operation and deepening the relationship between Ireland and the UAE in criminal justice matters,” she said.

“This process is about putting those at the top of organised crime behind bars and holding them responsible for their actions. Any person involved in organised crime should know there is no hiding place; you will face justice.

“Many organised crime gangs think they can evade justice by crossing borders; they cannot. There can be no hiding place anywhere in the world for criminals.

“This is one of several steps I have taken as Minister for Justice to tackle organised crime in this country.

“I have secured Government approval to deploy a number of gardaí into strategic positions overseas, as well as increasing the sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life.

“I intend to enact legislation to strengthen the powers of the Criminal Assets Bureau to seize criminal assets, as well as to significantly increase their budget and staff as part of my plan to tackle organised crime.

“I have also extended the Greentown Programme, which is breaking the link between gangs and the vulnerable young people they are trying to recruit.”