Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

As I have said, we do not have any locus standi in the matter because the person concerned is not an Irish citizen. Given that he is married to an Irish citizen, however, we did attempt to make contact with the Greek police to see if we could be of some assistance and make inquiries about the matter. As Deputy Ó Fearghaíl has said, the man concerned, who is an Albanian citizen, was arrested in Crete on 16 September 2010. He was one of several others who were charged with being members of an armed criminal organisation, ten armed robberies, the theft of 12 cars, armed assault, possession of illegal arms and possession of drugs.

In January 2012, he was charged with and subsequently convicted of these offences and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. The Minister of State, Deputy Creighton, met with Mr. Marku's parents-in-law on 3 July regarding the case, at which time she advised them that as Mr. Marku is not an Irish citizen there is no consular role for the Irish Government in the case. I understand an issue has arisen in regard to documents which would show that Mr. Marku was in Ireland. Again, the conduct of a criminal case is a matter for the presiding judge. It would be a matter for Mr. Marku's defence lawyers to ensure that the relevant documents are provided.

My Department can authenticate documents executed in Ireland that are to be used in court cases in other countries. However, authentication of a document simply confirms that a particular signature, seal or stamp appearing on a document is genuine. Unfortunately, this is not a case in respect of which we can make direct consular representation as Mr. Marku is not an Irish citizen.

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