David Drumm to spend at least three more weeks in US detention

Former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm will spend at least three more weeks in detention after a US court agreed to his request to postpone a bail hearing.

Mr Drumm sought the delay in the hearing for a second time to allow his new lawyers to prepare his defence against an Irish extradition request.

He asked the US District Court in Boston to postpone his bail hearing scheduled for Monday until November 13th to permit attorneys, Edward McNally and Daniel Fetterman, who have just joined his lawyer, Boston attorney Tracy Miner, to work on his case.

Ms Miner told the Massachusetts court that the new lawyers, with the New York law firm Kasowitz, Benson, Torres and Friedman, require "sufficient and adequate time to develop and obtain salient information including additional information from counsel in Ireland."

She noted that the US government, the opposing side in the extradition hearing, did not oppose the request. The court approved the postponement, scheduling the hearing for 10am on Friday, November 13th.

Second delay

This is the second time the hearing has been postponed to allow Mr Drumm time to prepare his defence against the State’s request for his extradition. A previous hearing was due to take place on October 16th.

The 48-year-old former banker was arrested in Massachusetts on October 10th and is being held in a detention centre in neighbouring Rhode Island pending a hearing at which he is seeking release on bail.

His request means that he will be detained for at least three weeks and possibly longer if Boston Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell decides not to release him pending the full hearing of the extradition case.

Mr Drumm is wanted in Ireland to face 33 charges relating to transactions at Anglo Irish Bank in 2007 and 2008 while he was chief executive as the bank struggled in the deteriorating banking crisis.

Ms Miner indicated to the court last week that the Dubliner plans to contest the extradition request, saying that it might have been brought against the former banker “for a political purpose.”

His defence may take three to four months to prepare, she said.