The Court of Appeal has dismissed an Iranian national’s appeal over the refusal of his application for Irish citizenship, leaving in place a decision that national security justified withholding further information about the refusal.
In a judgment delivered on 18 April 2018, Mr Justice Gilligan said the applicant had been given the reason for the refusal—national security—but not the underlying basis for that conclusion. He found no reason to overturn the High Court’s 2016 decision that the applicant had not shown an error in the Minister’s decision-making process.
The applicant, who was granted refugee status in Ireland in December 1991, had applied for naturalisation several times. After a previous refusal was challenged, the High Court ordered disclosure of one document in full and another in redacted form, while upholding privilege over a third document in its entirety. That ruling was not appealed.
For the application at issue, two civil servants prepared a report raising national security and international relations concerns. It recommended refusal, saying the Minister could not have confidence in the applicant’s declaration of fidelity to the State or be satisfied that he met the good-character condition. The Minister accepted the recommendation on 25 August 2014. The applicant was notified of the refusal on 1 September and received a copy of the report.
His counsel argued that the applicant had been told only the conclusion and could not answer concerns he did not know. He sought the redacted material in one document, the withheld document in full or in redacted form, or at least a gist of their contents. The Minister’s counsel said national security was the reason for refusal and justified withholding further reasons.
Gilligan J said the withheld information in part of one document and all of another had come from an outside source. The Minister had declined to disclose either its contents or a gist. The judge noted that the earlier High Court review had found the relevant material could not be disclosed, including in gist form.
The judgment acknowledged that the applicant’s position appeared unfair, but concluded that national security interests outweighed his position. Gilligan J agreed with the High Court judge’s reasoning and dismissed the appeal. The court did not order disclosure of the withheld material or a gist, and the judgment concerned the challenged refusal rather than a new naturalisation application.