George Gibney tells Florida court he intends to challenge the case against him in Ireland
reports from Orlando
GEORGE GIBNEY HAS appeared at an 11-minute hearing in a Florida courthouse to confirm that he has agreed to be extradited back to Ireland to face 79 sexual abuse charges.
Gibney was required to appear before Judge Daniel C Irick at US Middle District Court in downtown Orlando for a hearing on his continued detention at 10am Florida time (3pm Irish time).
There was uncertainty as to whether he would be present today after he agreed to be extradited to Ireland yesterday following a
withdrawal of his application to contest the extradition
, but he was already present in the courtroom when
The Journal
entered at 9.50am Florida time (2.50pm Irish time).
The 77-year-old former Irish National and Olympic swimming coach was in a wheelchair wearing prison-issue clothing of a dark navy t-shirt and trousers from Orange County Jail, where he is being detained.
Judge Irick today accepted the affidavit which was provided to the court by Gibney's legal team overnight, in which he confirmed his consent to be extradited.
Addressing the court as the hearing got underway, the judge said he understood that today's hearing was set to relate to Gibney's detention 'but things have changed'.
He confirmed he had received the affidavit from Gibney's lawyers and went through each line of the document with Gibney in court to confirm that he understood what he had signed.
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He was placed under oath and moved in front of a microphone before being asked to confirm his name, which he did.
Asked by the judge to confirm that he understood that he had waived his rights and agreed to return in custody to Ireland, he said: 'Yes, your honour.'
He told the judge that he did not have any medical condition or mental issue, but said that he was taking medication for 'high blood pressure and things like that'.
He agreed that he would be taken in custody to Ireland and remain in the custody of a US Marshall until that time. He also confirmed no promises or threats had been made against him in order for him to sign the waiver.
He acknowledged that he was the individual against whom there were charges pending in Ireland and that he had reviewed the complaint against him and understood he had a right to a hearing.
When Judge Irick asked Gibney if he understood that he could challenge the request to have him extradited and face the charges, Gibney replied: 'Oh, I will.'
Aisha Nash, his attorney then quietly clarified to him that while he could challenge the case against him in Ireland, he could not do so in the US. Gibney confirmed that he understood.
Nash told the judge that she did not have any concerns about whether her client understood what was going on or what he was agreeing to.
Nash and Amanda Daniels, for the state, both told the court that they had no further requests.
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Judge Irick said he was satisfied that while Gibney was in a wheelchair and was 'soft spoken', he understood the proceedings. He said he found the affidavit 'knowing and voluntary' and that Gibney had 'answered all my questions'.
He ordered that he be extradited before closing the case.
The judge did not set a date for Gibney's extradition. A source told
The Journal
that planning for his return is underway, and that a date will likely be decided next week.
Once he returns to Ireland,
he will face 79 charges in connected with the alleged abuse of four girls between the years of 1971 and 1981
. The alleged victims were all swimmers that Gibney coached at a club in Dublin at the time.
Gibney, who fled to the US in the 1990s, was arrested in Florida last week on foot of the extradition request from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.
He was previously described as being a 'flight risk' by the US attorney prosecuting the case in Florida, and it was requested that he be detained and denied bail.
In documents filed with the courts overnight, Nash, for Gibney, provided an affidavit in which the former Irish Olympic swimming coach admitted that there was an extradition request against him.
In the same affidavit, Gibney recognised he had a right to challenge the extradition request and formally waived his right to do so, confirming that he had not been promised inducements from Irish or American law enforcement or other officials in doing so.
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