Jim Smyth granted bail on IRA membership charge

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

Jim Smyth was granted bail at Dublin’s Special Criminal Court on an IRA membership charge and released on his own bond of Euro20,000. The proceedings were reported on 9 December 2015.

The charge alleges that on 25 November 2015 he belonged to an unlawful organisation called the Irish Republican Army, also known as Oglaigh na hEireann or the IRA.

Detective Inspector William Hanrahan told the three-judge, non-jury court on 8 December 2015 that gardai opposed bail because they regarded the charge as serious. Detective Chief Superintendent John McMahon invoked Section 2 of the Bail Act, under which a senior officer can give evidence opposing bail to prevent a serious offence.

Mr Justice Paul Butler sat with Judge John O'Hagan and Judge Ann Ryan. He found Mr Smyth entitled to bail because the charge concerned membership alone, he had no previous convictions and he had strong community ties.

The conditions included daily signing at Monaghan Garda Station and a daily curfew reported as 12pm to 7am. Mr Smyth also had to give gardai a mobile phone number, surrender his passport and all travel documents, stay within the jurisdiction and refrain from associating with anyone charged with a scheduled offence.