Courts / Ireland / Report
Reserved judgement in case of lawyers accused of misleading court
Summary
In a High Court case involving two lawyers accused of misleading the court to delay the deportation of Polish criminal Thomas Bebenek, Mr Justice David Keane reserved his decision on whether further action should be taken. The judge noted that the lawyers, a solicitor and a barrister, used litigation as a tactic to postpone Bebenek's deportation long enough for a new order to be issued and challenged. He criticised the lawyers for failing to properly inform the court of relevant immigration law, an obligation of court officers. The judge considered referring the matter to the Law Society and the Bar Council. The solicitor was ordered to reimburse the State's legal costs for gross negligence. The case remains pending, with the judge awaiting further submissions from the lawyers' representatives. The matter is still before the court.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Reserved judgement in case of lawyers accused of misleading court. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- March 16th, 2016 Other
- 2018-06-20 Publication
Why: In his judgement, Mr Justice Keane ordered Bebenek's solicitor to personally reimburse the State's legal costs because there had been "gross negligence" on behalf of Bebenek's lawyers. CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Outcome: He received notification of his deportation in June 2015 while he was serving an 18-month prison sentence for theft.
Places mentioned
- High Court
Topics
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