Seamus Christopher O’Kane wins leave to appeal firearms extradition

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

Seamus Christopher O’Kane was granted leave to appeal his extradition on firearms charges at the High Court on 4 June 2025. The charges concern possession of firearms and explosives at Garvagh, Co Derry.

The High Court had ordered O’Kane’s surrender to Northern Ireland in March 2025. On 4 June, Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said the authorities had not fully explained the long delay and that there had been lengthy periods of inaction; he certified a question for the Court of Appeal.

The appeal concerned whether the 48-year delay, and the omission of offences from an earlier surrender application, amounted to an abuse of process. The supplied reporting records the Court of Appeal’s decision in March 2026 to uphold the extradition order, but says the court stayed extradition while the men sought permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.