High Court refuses Aisha Ahmed's extradition to Italy

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The High Court refused Italy's request to extradite Aisha Ahmed on 8 February 2016. Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly found that the amended European Arrest Warrant Act 2003 prevented her surrender.

Italian authorities had sought her arrest through a European Arrest Warrant, and she was arrested in 2014. The warrant accused Ms Ahmed of promoting, leading and organising a group involved in cocaine importation, sale, distribution and trading in Italy between 1999 and 2000.

A conviction was recorded against Ms Ahmed in 2005 while she was absent. A subsequent sentence imposed by the Court of Naples required her to serve 20 years in prison.

At a hearing the previous October, her lawyers argued that she had received no notification of an alleged scheduled trial. They said the notification had instead gone to her defence lawyer and argued that this did not satisfy extradition requirements.

Alongside refusing surrender, Ms Justice Donnelly directed that Ms Ahmed receive back the €1,000 lodged for her bail bond.