The family and friends of a Co Tipperary man held without charge in a French prison have demonstrated outside the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin calling for his release on humanitarian grounds.
Paul Barrett (38) from Fethard has been detained in Lille since March. French customs authorities impounded the truck he was driving after discovering an estimated six million cigarettes inside. Mr Barrett was questioned and allowed to return home but arrested a week later when he went back to Caen to collect the vehicle for his employers.
He has been detained without charge while an investigation is underway by French authorities and is due to appear in court in November.
About 20 family members and friends protested outside Iveagh House, calling for his release.
His mother Joan Barrett said her son was not in good health, was underweight and she added that he was “totally innocent".
"Why would he gone back if he had anything do to with it?” she asked.
Ms Barrett said the family was seeking his temporary release on humanitarian grounds. “We want to get him well. The Minister can hold his passport. We will bring bring him back to France. Is that too much to ask? The Gardaí have investigated him and he doesn’t even have a single traffic fine or parking ticket.”
His brother Ken Barrett said Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin had told the family he could not interfere in the French justice system. “We’re not asking him to interfere in their justice system but to release him on humanitarian grounds.”
Mr Barrett said nobody was visiting his brother in France and “somebody should be visiting him every week to check he’s okay”. He claimed the department had “severed contact” with the family but a spokesman for the Minister said the department “has had an extremely high level of contact with Mr Barrett’s family since his detention began on all consular matters associated with the case”.
He said there was a “clear distinction between consular assistance, which we do and can provide and legal proceedings in another jurisdiction which is not appropriate for us to interfere with”. The department “will continue to liaise with the French authorities on Mr Barrett’s behalf and will continue to keep in contact with the Barrett family on all further developments”.
