A MAN wanted by the German authorities to serve a five-year sentence imposed for the rape of a woman more than seven years ago has been granted bail at the High Court.
Father of two Anthony Abimbola, Garage Court, Oldtown, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, with a previous address in Dortmund, Germany and a Nigerian national, is wanted by the German authorities following his conviction in 2000 for the rape of a young woman in the city in October 1999.
Yesterday at the High Court Mr Justice Michael Peart remanded Abimbola in custody with consent to bail.
The State had objected to bail on the basis of a Garda view that there was a very high risk of Abimbola absconding.
The State argued he had left Germany before he was sentenced, had been living in Ireland for the last number of years under a new identity and had used different variations of his name and given different dates of birth to both the Irish and German authorities.
Abimbola, who said his full name is Anthony Joel Abimbola, denied using different aliases or giving different dates of birth. He said he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his two young children and would turn up for any hearings.
Mr Justice Peart said that he was satisfied to grant Abimbola bail with sufficient safeguards to ensure there was no risk of him taking flight.
Bail was fixed on a cash lodgement of €500 and on his own bond of €100.
Abimbola must also sign on three times a week at a local Garda station, reside at his Letterkenny address, and he and his Irish-born wife must surrender their passports and not travel outside the jurisdiction.
Last November the Supreme Court ruled Abimbola's arrest here in July 2006 was invalid because the relevant parts of the Extradition Act under which he had been arrested had previously been revoked.
His release was ordered, but the court noted its ruling did not prevent the issuing of a European arrest warrant by Germany, or the subsequent execution of that warrant in Ireland.