The Court of Criminal Appeal has reserved judgment on an appeal by a Nigerian lawyer against his conviction for trafficking illegal immigrants into Ireland.
Olaitan Ilori, a father of four, Oak Drive, Blessington, Co Wicklow was convicted in July 2007 on 12 counts of organising or knowingly facilitating the entry into the State on October 27th, 2004 of 12 Mauritian nationals whom he knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, were illegal immigrants.
Ilori was jailed for four years.
The 12-day trial was the first case of trafficking of illegal immigrants to come before the Circuit Criminal Court
Ilori denied the charges and his appealed against conviction heard by the CCA today.
The three judge court, with Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns presiding and sitting with Mr Justice Declan Budd and Mr Justice Daniel Herbert, reserved judgment.
The appeal against sentence will be determined after the CCA gives judgment on the appeal against conviction.
Earlier, Ms Aileen Donnelly SC, for Ilori, said the grounds of appeal included that the case should not have bene brought because there was no case to answer, that the Mauritian nationals were not illegal immigrants and that the trial judge failed to give a accomplice warning to the jury in respect of the Mauritians who gave evidence during the trial.
Counsel for the DPP, Alex Owens SC, opposed the appeal and said there was no basis to overturn the conviction.
Ilori qualified as a lawyer in Nigeria and arrived in Ireland in 1998. He is married to an Irish woman and was granted full citizenship in 2002.