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Gardai deny they abandoned failed asylum seeker at airport

Summary

Gardai deny abandoning a failed asylum seeker at an Ethiopian airport. The man, deported from Ireland in March, claims he could not board his return flight because Gardai withheld his passport, leaving him to survive on charity and discarded items. He has lived in the terminal since. In court, John Gallagher BL for the Minister presented a sworn statement from a Garda who accompanied the man, asserting that the Garda provided the passport, boarding pass, and personal belongings, and that any failure to board was the man's own. The case is before Mr Justice Charles Meenan in the High Court, where the man seeks judicial review to quash the Minister's requirement that his solicitor obtain a signed authority from him, arguing the requirement is unlawful. The matter is adjourned to allow the parties to consider the Garda's statement, with a return hearing early next month.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Gardai deny they abandoned failed asylum seeker at airport. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• 2020-09-24 Publication

Why: The man, who was deported from the State last March, claims that he was unable to get a flight back to his home country because gardai did not give him his passport, which he claims prevented him from boarding his flight to his home country in Southern Africa. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report