McEntee 'confident' Kinahan mob bosses will face justice as UAE talks continue
The desert state where the Kinahan mob bosses are holed up is committed to sending them back to Ireland, Helen McEntee has insisted. The Justice Minister told the annual meeting of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors in Westport, Co Mayo, yesterday: “I am confident they will face justice.” Ms McEntee also said the United Arab Emirates was working closely with gardai and her department on securing a way of getting the mob leaders, including Daniel Kinahan, out of Dubai and back to Ireland. READ MORE - Kinahan cartel weapons caretaker now out of prison as CAB continues to target his home The minister’s insistence comes even though the cartel leaders have been able to live in Dubai for almost two years, despite an American-led sanctions campaign. America has placed a $5million bounty on Daniel, 46, his father Christy, 66, and 43-year-old brother Christopher. But they are believed to be in Dubai, where they have lived since around 2017. Several other targets are also living there, including Dubliner Sean McGovern, 38, who is already the subject of an extradition warrant.
Sean McGovern
(Image: Mick O'Neill)
Gardai want him brought back to Ireland to face a charge over the Kinahan cartel murder of Noel Kirwan, 62, in December 2016. Ireland has no extradition treaty with Dubai so that means McGovern and the Kinahans are free to live there – until such a deal is reached. Late last year, Ms McEntee headed to Dubai to meet her counterpart Abdullah Bin Sultan Awad Al Nuaimi over plans for such a treaty, and she insisted yesterday that negotiations were still under way. She added: “They’re ongoing. So that engagement between the Garda commissioner and his team in the police force in the UAE is ongoing. “My own department has regular engagement as well. “Obviously, there’s work that can be done prior to any full agreement being reached. And that’s work that gardai are currently looking at. “And I think the commissioner has been clear that they will try to progress some of the measures that they need that would be in disagreement prior to it being fully signed off on.”
Daniel Kinahan
She said she believed the Kinahans would end up in the dock. She added: “I am confident they will face justice, but my objective here is to make sure that we have the right legal structure in place. “What I can assure you is that my colleague who I spoke to in the UAE and their Government as a whole, they are absolutely committed to working with us to try and put in place the right legal structures here to make sure that anybody who needs to be brought to justice that they can be brought to justice.” Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, who visited Dubai three weeks ago to talk with police chiefs, also said he believed authorities were on the same page as Ireland on the Kinahans. He added: “Those contacts are continuing.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Garda commissioner Drew Harris during a ceremony to mark the opening of the garda station in Athlone, County Westmeath. Picture date: Monday July 25, 2022.
(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
“We’re a lot further on in terms of relationship, understanding and then joint working than we were a year ago. “The extradition of Sean McGovern is a live issue between our own government and the authorities in Dubai. And then other members of the Kinahan organised crime group would be a target as well. “There’s a legal process to be followed in the UAE. And they have an extradition process, which has to be followed.” Meanwhile, the commissioner also backed AGSI’s condemnation of the decision to drape the coffin of garda killer Pearse McAuley in the national flag last week. There was outrage when the remains of McAuley, part of an IRA gang that murdered Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996, had the tricolour placed on it during his funeral in his native Strabane, Co Tyrone. AGSI president Paul Curran said it was outrageous and “a move that completely undermines the Garda organisation and our work protecting the citizens of this State”. He also paid tribute to Det Garda McCabe during his speech as well as his son John, who is an AGSI delegate. Mr Harris added: “It is regrettable that in effect the national flag is being abused and disrespected in this way.” Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
