UK To Extradite Sean Garland to US?

international | crime and justice | feature

Saturday October 15, 2005 01:20

by Indymedia Ireland Editorial Group - Indymedia Ireland

'Superdollers me arse' sez Wag 'Translate $1M to Irish - two gaffs (before expenses)'

The news that the USA has sought the extradition of a central figure in the Workers Party (Seán Garland) due to his alleged involvement in currency fraud in connivance with the government of North Korea has focused attention on a by now little-known faction within Irish politics. Debate on Indymedia.ie has focused on what the 'proper response' to this news should be.

Seán Garland facing extradition to USA

It has emerged that the USA has formally requested extradition of Seán Garland and six others of various nationalities from the UK for the alleged crime of the distribution of forged US $100 bills. It is alleged that these bills (of high quality) were forged by elements of the North Korean administration.

Press coverage indicates that Garland is being accused of involvement in laundering less than one million dollars worth of these bills.

Seán Garland was remanded on bail last week in the North. He is also an Irish citizen with his principal residence formerly in Navan, now in Kentstown in Meath. He has at various times in the past been closely associated with the Official IRA and Official Sinn Fein and in recent times became President of the Workers Party.

News of his threatened extradition to the USA elicited a variety of responses from Indymedia.ie contributors. The first story published on the newswire included a post that summarised the genesis and development of the Official IRA (known colloquially as the 'Stickies') and their long-running differences and conflicts with the Provisional IRA and the INLA amongst others. Other posts point out that the 'stickies' had been markedly unsympathetic in the past to republican political activists facing extradition and the kangaroo 'special criminal courts'.

This issue looks set to test Inter-Irish, Irish-English, Irish-American and English-American relationships in unique ways. It may also make a Europe-wide impact as Garland's ideological colleagues have a strong base across the EU as evidenced by one contributor's post from Greece.