Today the NI Court of Appeal discharged the extradition order made against our client by Belfast Crown Court on 20th June 2014 to return Mr El Massoud to Germany to face criminal charges. He no longer faces extradition to Germany and will be released from prison today after being in custody since 2011.
Yesterday we received confirmation that the German authorities no longer seek the extradition of our client. This is in response to our request to the German prosecution authorities to consider whether they still believed it necessary to extradite our client in light of his mental health problems and the significant time he has spent in prison in Northern Ireland. Our client attempted suicide on the 24th June 2014 in HMP Maghaberry shortly after the making of the extradition order. In correspondence received by us yesterday, the German authorities confirm that they believe that further imprisonment is disproportionate and that they base their decision upon medical evidence obtained by us and the Crown Solicitor’s Office showing the deterioration of our client’s mental health in HMP Maghaberry.
Michael Madden of Madden & Finucane today states:
“The decision of the German authorities to withdraw the request for extradition effectively makes the extradition order granted by Belfast Crown Court obsolete. All the medical evidence is in agreement that our client is highly vulnerable and likely to attempt suicide again if extradited to Germany. We are grateful that the German authorities considered our representations and welcome the compassionate approach taken by them.”
