The Court of Appeal has dismissed Ali Mazidi’s appeal against the refusal of bail pending trial on a charge of conspiracy to import controlled drugs.
The judgment, delivered on 5 June 2025 by Mr Justice Edwards, said the High Court judge had approached the bail application with care and made no error. Mazidi remains remanded in custody ahead of trial before the Special Criminal Court.
Mazidi had appealed the High Court’s decision, arguing at the appeal hearing that the judge had relied on evidence not yet formally served, treated the absence of an innocent explanation as relevant, failed to account for difficulties preparing for trial in custody, and gave insufficient weight to bail granted to co-accused Sean Curran. Other grounds in his notice of appeal were not pursued orally.
The Court of Appeal rejected the arguments that were pursued. It said a bail judge may consider anticipated further evidence described by the prosecution, provided it is not misrepresented or overstated. The appeal court found no indication that the prosecution had misrepresented the expected evidence in this case.
It also said the High Court judge’s comments about the phones and cash found in Mazidi’s possession did not engage his right to silence. The judge was assessing the apparent strength of the prosecution case at the bail stage, not deciding guilt. The appeal court stressed that Mazidi retains the full range of rights at trial, including the presumption of innocence and the right not to give evidence.
On trial preparation, the court said the complaint was premature. No application had yet been made to the Special Criminal Court for case management or to vary an undertaking that interview records be kept by Mazidi’s solicitor rather than left with him. The court said that if case management and related applications failed to resolve the difficulties, Mazidi could make a further bail application based on those changed circumstances. It made no finding that such an application would succeed.
The court also dismissed the comparison with Curran, saying there was insufficient evidence before it to establish that their circumstances were similar. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the High Court’s refusal of bail in place.