The House of Lords has granted leave for Dublin man John Joseph Gilligan to challenge High Court refusal of his appeal against an extradition order. Magistrates had ordered that he should be handed over to the Dublin authorities in connection with the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.
Gilligan was arrested at Heathrow on drugs charges and, on 29 August last year, the Special Court in Dublin granted arrest warrants against him on charges of Guerin's murder, drug trafficking and possession and control of firearms.
Proceedings against him in England were adjourned after it was decided that his return to Ireland should take precedence over the pending English court proceedings.
But Gilligan's lawyers claim that what has happened amounts to an abuse of the legal process and that he should not be extradited. They had sought a writ of habeas corpus.
