Sean McGovern appears before Special Criminal Court charged with murder amid huge security operation after plane landing
KINAHAN gang member Sean McGovern appeared before the Special Criminal Court tonight on murder and organised crime charges after he was extradited on a military plane from the UAE.
The aircraft touched down at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel at 6.28pm and the senior member of Daniel Kinahan's gang was brought to the Criminal Courts of Justice under heavy armed escort.
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Sean McGovern has been taken to the Special Criminal Court
Credit: Crispin Rodwell - The Sun Dublin
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McGovern had been extradited from the UAE and landed in Dublin this evening
Credit: GARY ASHE - THE SUN DUBLIN
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He was arrested shortly after landing and rushed to court
Credit: GARY ASHE - THE SUN DUBLIN
He was driven underground in a unmarked Garda motorcade at 7.12pm after armed officers closed off Infirmary Road to traffic.
He then appeared before presiding judge Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, along with Ms Justice Elma Sheahan and Ms Justice Grainne Malone, at 7.40pm following a consultation with senior Gardai and his legal team.
About 30 members of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau were present in court following the high profile extradition on a military plane from the UAE.
McGovern, who was sporting a shaved head and facial hair growth and was wearing a grey t-shirt, grey tracksuit, black sliders and white socks, said 'yes' when he stood up to confirm his name and made no reply when the five charges were put to him.
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The 39-year-old was charged with the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan at St Ronan's Drive on December 22, 2016 who was shot outside his home after he returned home from Christmas shopping.
He also faces a charge that between October 20 and December 22, 2016 he directed the activities of a criminal organisation to carry out the murder of Mr Kirwan and another offence of facilitating a criminal organisation to murder of Mr Kirwan.
McGovern is also charged that between October 17, 2015 and April 6, 2017 he did direct the activities of a criminal organisation to monitor the activities of James 'Mago' Gately and another offence of facilitating a criminal organisation in the conspiracy to murder Gately between the same dates.
Detective Sergeant Donal O'Daly told the court he arrested McGovern at Casement Aerodrome at 6.38pm and handed him a copy of the European Arrest Warrant, which was issued by the Special Criminal Court on March 10, 2022.
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The officer said he also met with him in the precincts of the court, explained the charges to him and handed him a copy of the charge sheet.
At the outset Mr Olan O'Callanan BL, for McGovern, told the court: 'The defence reserves it's position on the lawfulness of the arrest and the jurisdiction of this court.'
CASE PUT BACK TO NEXT WEEK
He asked for the case to be put in for June 5 and requested that his client appear for the brief hearing by video-link from Portlaoise Prison.
Ms Justice O'Connor remanded McGovern in custody and adjourned the matter until next Thursday morning.
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The hearing lasted 15 minutes.
McGovern is the first person to be extradited from the United Arab Emirates to Ireland.
EXTRADITION TO IRELAND
He has been in custody for over seven months but was taken from his cell in the UAE without being told his attempts to stop his extradition had failed and gardai travelled to the Middle East country to bring him home.
Members of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau flew to Dubai this week as part of the major op to transport him back to Ireland.
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McGovern appeared at the Special Criminal Court after he was flown from the UAE to Ireland on an Air Corps Airbus C295 plane.
The aircraft left Al Maktoum International in Dubai at 8pm Irish time on Wednesday and stopped in Larnaca in Cyprus and Marseille in France to refuel.
ARMED SECURITY OP
Once landed at the Casement Aerodrome, McGovern was brought to the Special Court to be charged with the five different offences.
He was brought to the court by armed Gardai, including the Emergency Response Unit.
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The Gardai's Armed Support Unit were also mobilised to appear at the Courts of Criminal Justice in Parkgate Street.
The Crumlin man was extradited to Ireland on Wednesday after losing his appeal against the extradition in the last week.
ARREST IN DUBAI
He was arrested in Dubai last October after an Interpol Red Notice was issued for his arrest.
He's the first person from Ireland to be extradited from the UAE and also the first one sent home to face charges on the Red Notice.
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McGovern was extradited after the Department of Justice, the Gardai and the Department of Foreign Affairs struck a specific deal on McGovern.
The investigations into McGovern were being run by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and detectives from Lucan and Ronanstown.
INTERNATIONAL DEAL
Gardai also received support from their international colleagues.
The deal was classified as a 'reciprocal and bi-lateral' agreement dealing specifically with his case.
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The deal also means Ireland could extradite someone to the UAE if a request was made.
And the pact was also made before the Irish Government signed a formal extradition treaty with the UAE on May 18.
UAE VISIT
The agreement also came about after the late Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll extended the Garda Liaison Network since 2020.
Before McGovern's extradition, senior members of the Gardai, including Commissioner Drew Harris, regularly travelled to the region.
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Law enforcement officers from the UAE also visited Ireland last year.
It's understood the paperwork to facilitate McGovern's return to Ireland was completed earlier this month.
REGENCY INJURY
McGovern, who's originally from Crumlin, has been living in Dubai since 2017.
Before going to Dubai, he was shot and injured in the Regency Hotel attack in which his best pal David Byrne was shot dead.
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And a European Arrest Warrant was issued for his arrest in March, 2022 and announced at a press conference the following month, attended by the DEA, the US Treasury Dept and the National Crime Agency, in Dublin's City Hall.
His dad Des passed away when he was living in Dubai.
LAST IMAGE IN DUBLIN
The Irish Sun obtained the last image of him in Dublin when he was photographed off Dublin's Grafton Street with Liam Byrne and Liam Roe, who has since passed away.
The pic was used by the Gardai in their European Arrest Warrant.
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Earlier today, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said: 'In recent years, the UAE and Ireland have worked together to advance criminal investigations into serious and organised crime.
'That strong cooperation was further strengthened by the decision to deploy a Garda Liaison Officer to Abu Dhabi last year and the negotiation of bilateral treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance, both of which entered into force on Sunday 18 May.
'STRONG COOPERATION'
'These developments result from tireless work by An Garda Síochána and officials in my own Department with their UAE counterparts, supported by their colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs and other agencies.
'I would particularly like to acknowledge and thank my counterpart, the Emirati Minister of Justice, His Excellency Abdullah Bin Sultan Bin Awad Al Nuaimi and his senior officials in the Ministry of Justice, along with the Dubai Police, for their ongoing engagement and commitment to strengthening judicial and police-to-police cooperation."
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Acting Deputy Garda Commissioner Shawna Coxon said: 'As this is a live on-going extradition operation I am constrained in what I can say, however, I would like to acknowledge this is another significant development in on our continued work with international law enforcement partners.
'This work has involved extensive meetings by Senior Garda Officers here and abroad with international law enforcement partners, as well as highly detailed and intricate investigative work with those partners.
'SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT'
'This has been supported by our network of Garda Liaison Officers stationed in key locations abroad.
'This work is not possible without the assistance of the Department of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
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'I want to particularly thank the Ministry of Justice at a judicial level in the United Arab Emirates."
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Acting Deputy Garda Commissioner Shawna Coxon said 'this is another significant development in on our continued work with international law enforcement partners'
Credit: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
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Irish Daily Mirror
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- Irish Daily Mirror
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