The High Court has ordered Alexander James Keane’s surrender to Northern Ireland for prosecution over alleged fraud-related offences involving a JCB teleporter and an unpaid cheque. The order followed the dismissal of his objections under sections 38, 44 and 11 of the European Arrest Warrant Act 2003.
The warrant alleges that WC Agriplant Limited bought the teleporter for £11,283.22 and contracted Keane to collect it in Ballycastle, County Antrim, and deliver it to the company in Portarlington, County Offaly. It says he did not deliver the vehicle and later gave the company a £3,000 cheque as a deposit. The cheque was not honoured, and the company was never paid.
The warrant also alleges that Keane later said the vehicle had been damaged in an accident and that he had sold it as scrap to an unidentified man from Armagh for £3,200. In information provided to the court, the issuing authority said the sale took place at a yard on Belfast Road in Bangor, County Down. It said Keane did not identify the buyer.
Keane’s objections included that the alleged conduct did not correspond to offences under Irish law and that the offences took place outside the issuing state. The court found that the conduct described in the warrant corresponded to Irish offences, including theft and money laundering. It accepted the issuing authority’s information that the relevant acts occurred in Northern Ireland, finding no obvious ambiguity or manifest error about the stated locations. Both objections were dismissed.
Keane sought an adjournment on the day of the hearing to consider additional information received two days earlier and potentially file an affidavit. The court refused the request, noting that information about his interview and the alleged sale had been available to him for months. It also said any factual dispute about evidence would be for a trial court in the issuing state.
The court further ruled that the warrant and additional documents gave sufficient detail about the alleged circumstances, dates, location and Keane’s alleged involvement. It dismissed his section 11 objection and concluded that surrender was not barred by any other provision considered. The order is for surrender to Northern Ireland for prosecution; the judgment does not determine whether Keane committed the alleged offences.