Meeting on Michael McKevitt

On Thursday 12th May 2011 a meeting was convened in regard to the case of Michael McKevitt and aired the grave reservations that many people have in regard to his conviction. The Panel consisted of Dr Vicky Conway of the School of Law, Queens University, Belfast, who specialises in Policing in Ireland and in Miscarriages of Justice, Bernadette McKevitt of the Justice for Michael McKevitt Campaign and Peter Corrigan of K Winters solicitors, and legal representative of Michael McKevitt in the ongoing Appeal of civil proceedings emanating from the Omagh bombing.

Firstly, the Chairperson of the Law & Democracy Committee, stated the background of the Committee and then went on to outline the principalities of the case of Michael McKevitt.

Dr Vicky Conway spoke about the generalities of Miscarriage of Justice and the differentiation between the jurisdictions North and South. She emphasised the significance of the Supreme Court judgement of McCartney the previous day, and how the British courts had taken the broader meaning of the term Miscarriage of Justice on board in line with the Republic of Ireland. She went on to highlight the various aspects of the miscarriage of justice in the republic and the legal requirements needed to prove a miscarriage of justice, as in the instance of Michael McKevitt.

A statement from Jane Winter of British Irish Rights Watch was read out, who stated her, and her organisations continued concern over the conviction of Michael McKevitt and restated their view that the conviction was unsafe. She highlighted the vitriolic campaign by the media and elements of the state against the McKevitt family in relation to the Omagh bombing, when in fact they had never been arrested in relation to that offence. She then finally pointed to her organisations concerns over the Special Criminal Court in Dublin and the non-jury system that is currently operating in the Republic, the same court that convicted Michael McKevitt.

Bernadette McKevitt then spoke in relation to Michael McKevitt’s trial and conviction, highlighting the fact that Michael is in his 11th year of imprisonment and that he had primarily declined a deal that would have seen him accept a membership charge (with a three year sentence) against contesting the directing terrorism charge (which had a 20 year tarriff). He is currently declining parole and his expected release date is 2016. Bernadette outlined the circumstances of the arrest of Michael and the basis of the evidence placed against him in the court, and the fact that the main prosecution witness is a paid informant who explicitly stated he would do whatever MI5 or the FBI had asked of him considering he would be financially reward for it. The involvement of MI5, the FBI and the Irish state agencies were highlighted throughout and their malignant involvement along with Rupert in manufacturing charges against Michael, which were revealed in emails between the informant and his handler, 2 months before Rupert had come to Ireland and 4 months before Michael’s arrest.

Peter Corrigan then spoke of the evidential matters in relation to the case. He emphasised that David Rupert, the informant and the main prosecution witness, was not a reliable witness and that the decision by the Judge presiding in the case in the Special Criminal Court, to accept his evidence was negligent, to say the least. He cited the fact that the disclosure in the case, or lack thereof at various points is the basis for the appplication to the European Court of Human Rights, however he went on to reveal that David Rupert as he claimed in the criminal trial of Michael McKevitt had claimed that he had become an informant for the FBI as a result of an alturistic vision, yet when Peter himself spoke to the handler who recruited David Rupert he denied this and stated it was due to fraud charges of some description, and made a sworn statement in this regard. Therefore indicating that Rupert had in fact perjured himself in the special criminal court in Dublin.

The Irish Law & Democracy Committee would like to thank the panel members for their participation and all those who attended.

The conviction against Michael McKevitt is unsafe and give all the indications of a miscarriage of justice. The Irish Law & Democracy Committe will continue to support the Justice for Michael McKevitt campaign and campaign for the release of Michael McKevitt.