Devendra Kumar
Liam Byrne, a key member of the Kinahan organised crime gang, is fighting extradition to the UK, claiming he risks “inhumane and degrading treatment” in a British prison. Byrne’s lawyer, Jaime Campane, argued in a Spanish court that there is a “real risk” that his client’s fundamental right to physical and moral integrity will be in danger if his extradition goes ahead. Campane cited overcrowding in some UK prisons and the recent escape of terror suspect Daniel Khalife from Wandsworth Prison as evidence that Byrne’s well-being would be put at risk if he is extradited. He also claimed that the only evidence against Byrne is hacked messages on an encrypted communications network, and that the approval of extradition would violate his human rights.
Campane told the court that if the decision goes against Byrne, the UK should state in which prisons he will be held. He also suggested that if Irish authorities decide not to extradite Byrne, the court should refuse the extradition request. Byrne’s arrest followed a UK-issued international arrest warrant, and he was detained in Alcudia on June 4th. A separate extradition appeal for Jack Kavanagh, another suspected Kinahan gang member, was also held last week.
Spanish prosecutors formally backed the extradition of both men, who are wanted on suspicion of firearms offences. The appeal was delayed due to a formal request which has been sent to Irish authorities asking them if they wish to prosecute the two men. This delay is linked to a 2016 ruling on extradition requests made to EU countries by “third countries” outside the EU, which now applies to the UK following Brexit. Byrne watched the proceedings via videolink from prison, while Kavanagh remains in prison on the Costa del Sol awaiting a ruling.
The investigation against Byrne and Kavanagh is part of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) ongoing work targeting the Kinahan crime group. According to the NCA, the men were part of a plot to plant arms in Northern Ireland and direct authorities to find them so that Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh, Jack’s father, could get a reduced sentence on drug charges. Thomas Kavanagh recently received a 21-year jail sentence for drugs and money-laundering offences.