BOSTON COLLEGE UPDATE: N.I. COURT GRANTS INJUNCTION TO BLOCK PSNI
Excellent news from Ed Maloney:
Belfast High Court has this afternoon granted us an injunction stopping the PSNI from
accessing any interviews that may be handed over. - email of 9/7/12
BOSTON COLLEGE SUBPOENAS PRESS RELEASE, Sept 6th 2012
As Boston College’s appeal to limit the handover of interviews from its Belfast Project IRA
archive begins in front of the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston tomorrow (Fri, EST),
lawyers for researchers Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre will be separately applying to
courts in Belfast and Boston to stay the handover of interviews given by the former IRA
activist, Dolours Price. In Belfast, solicitor Kevin Winters will be seeking a High Court
injunction tomorrow morning (Fri, 10:00 a.m. GMT) preventing the PSNI from accessing any
interviews that may be handed over by the US authorities prior to a hearing for a Judicial
Review of the PSNI subpoenas which were served on Boston College via the United States
Department of Justice. The application for a Judicial Review is scheduled to be heard
on September 14th. In Boston, attorneys Eamonn Dornan and JJ Cotter have filed a petition
to the First Circuit Court of Appeals seeking a stay on the handover of the Price interviews
as well as those that are the subject of Friday’s appeal by Boston College, until the
Supreme Court considers a bid to hear the case, which has huge constitutional,legal
and political consequences, in front of America’s highest court.
The Crown Solicitor’s Office in Belfast rejected a request by Mr Winters to impose
a voluntary stay on the interviews saying: “The challenges to the Mutual Legal
Assistance Treaty in the United States have currently delayed this investigation
by almost 2 years.” The US Attorney’s Office in Boston has similarly rejected any
idea of extending the stay and may file its own motion seeking the immediate
handover of the materials. Commenting on this, former Belfast Project Director
Ed Moloney said: “Both sets of legal authorities are complaining about the
delay caused by our legal challenge. Since Mrs McConville was killed in 1972
and it was not until the mid-1990’s that her disappearance was even classified
as a murder by the police in Northern Ireland, it ill behooves anyone in legal
authority to complain about delays”.
Contacts:
Kevin Winters: +44 28 9024 1888. +44 7976070020
Eamonn Dornan: +1 718 707 9997
Ed Moloney: +1 917 250 5629
