A final bid by John Gilligan to secure his freedom has opened before the Supreme Court.
John Gilligan has taken his appeal to the Supreme Court.
John Gilligan is serving a 20-year term for drugs offences. He was jailed in 2001 for 11 drug-related offences, including counts of importing cannabis resin into the State on dates unknown between July 1994 and October 1996 and having the drug for sale and supply.
Gilligan's lawyers are particularly challenging the operation of the Witness Protection programme in relation to three men - Charles Bowden, Russell Warren and John Dunne - who testified against Gilligan.
They claim the gardaí, Department of Justice and the three men engaged in "wholesale manipulation" and that the trial court was wrong in not discounting their evidence.
In November 2003, the Court of Criminal Appeal rejected an appeal by Gilligan against his conviction but reduced the 28-year jail sentence to 20 years.
The appeal continues tomorrow.