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“Arresto imminente” per avvocato di Colin Duffy e Brian Shivers

Massereene lawyer ‘to be arrested’

A human rights organisation has expressed concern over the timing of reported plans by police to arrest leading lawyer Peter Corrigan.

Colin Duffy - Brian ShiversPolice said a “planned voluntary interview” was to take place on Thursday, however that has now been rescheduled due to new information received on Wednesday evening.

They said it would now be “inappropriate” to progress with the interview and it has been rescheduled for a “suitable date in the future”.

The Belfast man is due within days to lead the defence of two men – Colin Duffy and Brian Shivers – accused of murdering Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar at Massereene Army Barracks in 2009.

It is understood that the planned arrest is not connected to the case.

Mr Corrigan is understood to have been asked to report to the PSNI “on matters relating to money laundering charges against two of his clients”, according to the Committee on the Administration of Justice.

“In this instance, we are especially concerned about the circumstances of this proposed arrest – which is on an unrelated matter – but is timed just a few days before Mr Corrigan is due to lead the defence of one of the accused at one of the most high profile murder trials of recent times,” CAJ director Brian Gormally said.

“It is wrong and dangerous to identify lawyers with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of discharging their professional duties as legal representatives.”

“It is incumbent on the PSNI to demonstrate that they can stand over this drastic course of action being entirely necessary at this particular point in time,” he added.

Kevin Winters, of Kevin Winters and Company, said the planned arrest of Mr Corrigan, a partner in the law firm, “represents oppression of the worst kind”.

In a statement to UTV, he said: “It is an attack on the integrity of a lawyer defending his client and sends out a sinister message to those who robustly defend the interests of those charged before our criminal justice system.”

In a statement, the PSNI said: “Police have a legal responsibility to follow all lines of inquiry as part of their investigations into organised criminality. No inference should be drawn from this. Police are continuing to make a number of inquiries into money laundering”.”

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René Querin

Di professione grafico e web designer, sono appassionato di trekking e innamorato dell'Irlanda e della sua storia. Insieme ad Andrea Varacalli ho creato e gestisco Les Enfants Terribles.

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