Lawyers for Mr Michael McKevitt, the alleged leader of the "Real IRA", want US lawyers to investigate the background of the chief prosecution witness against him, FBI agent Mr David Rupert, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin was told yesterday.
Mr McKevitt's counsel, Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, said his defence team was seeking information relating to Mr Rupert's alleged criminality, "his extraordinary business background and certain aspects of his unusual private life" before it would be in a position to cross-examine him.
Mr Rupert, who worked for the FBI and British intelligence, is the chief prosecution witness in the forthcoming trial of Mr McKevitt, who is the first person charged in the Republic with directing terrorist activity.
Last December the court provisionally fixed June 4th next as the trial date. Mr Hartnett said yesterday he did not think the defence would be in a position to go ahead with the trial on that date. He said the defence needed to contact American lawyers to investigate Mr Rupert's background before it would prepare for the trial.The court has fixed April 30th as the date for hearing a defence application. The court has also heard that Mr McKevitt allegedly met Mr Rupert over a two-year period and asked him to acquire equipment for the dissident republicans.
Mr McKevitt (51), Co Louth, is charged that between August 29th, 1999, and March 28th, 2001, within the State, he was a member of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, and that he directed the activities of the same organisation.
It is the first prosecution for directing terrorism under new legislation brought in after the 1998 Omagh bombing.