Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2017
73. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will clarify the indications he has received from President el-Sisi of Egypt that he will exercise his presidential powers to return a person (details supplied) to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25607/17]
View answerThis consular case continues to be a top priority for the Government and very substantial resources and time are being devoted to it.
The Government has been doing everything possible to secure this citizen’s release. We have supported petitions for him to be returned to Ireland under Egyptian Law 140; we have appealed for him to be released under the Egyptian President’s ‘Youth Amnesty’ Scheme, and we have stressed in all contacts the humanitarian dimensions of the case as grounds under which we believe he should be released.
The Taoiseach has raised this case directly and personally with Egyptian President el-Sisi on numerous occasions. In April, the Taoiseach once again made direct contact with President el-Sisi to renew the Government’s appeal to the Egyptian authorities to release this Irish citizen and return him to Ireland without delay.
For my part, I have also been working continuously on this young man’s behalf, meeting regularly with my Egyptian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, including during visits to Cairo, to make sure that the Egyptian authorities are in no doubt about our position. I once again underlined our demand for our citizen’s release when I met with Minister Shoukry face-to-face again in Brussels in March. I have also led and been proactive on efforts to build and maintain international support for our efforts on this case, including through my regular contacts with EU colleagues including High Representative Mogherini and my fellow EU Foreign Ministers.
The court case in which this man is accused is now moving forward and the presiding judge has invoked new legal provisions to speed up the trial process. These are indications that an end to the trial may, finally, be in sight.
President el-Sisi has powers under the Egyptian constitution and laws which would allow him to order the deportation of our citizen to Ireland. However, he has repeatedly said that he cannot consider using these powers while the case remains before the courts. President el-Sisi has consistently made clear to the Government that he is anxious to resolve this issue as soon as he can, and that he will be able to intervene in the case once the trial has ended.
The Irish Government cannot intervene in a case that is before the courts in another jurisdiction. What we can do, and what we are doing, is working constantly to maintain maximum pressure on the Egyptian Government to ensure that they are in no doubt about our wish to see that this trial proceeds now to a conclusion and, once it is concluded, that our citizen is returned to Ireland without delay.
