Thomas O’Connor’s tax fraud surrender appeal dismissed

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

Thomas O’Connor’s appeal over his surrender for tax fraud was dismissed by the Supreme Court on 30 March 2017. The case concerned whether legal aid for European Arrest Warrant proceedings had to be provided by statute rather than through an administrative scheme.

The Supreme Court held that legal aid in European Arrest Warrant cases was available as of right and enforceable in law. It also held that no European-law issue requiring a reference to the Court of Justice had been established.

O’Connor had been convicted in the United Kingdom of tax fraud, and his surrender was sought to serve that sentence and face prosecution for absconding and breaching bail conditions.