The decision of former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm to end his extradition fight came as he began his fifth month in a US prison.
It may not mean an immediate return to Ireland, however. The complex logistical arrangements of transporting a man deemed a fugitive by the US authorities now kicks in and it can take some time to co-ordinate a handover with their Irish counterparts.
It’s likely to be weeks rather than days, according to a source familiar with the case.
There is an added complication. Drumm's lawyer Daniel Fetterman asked a US judge yesterday to keep the matter open so that the Dubliner can be brought to a Boston immigration facility.
The court was told that Drumm, along with his wife and two daughters, is hoping to be biometrically tested as part of their process to secure a US green card. Once the certificate of extraditability is signed by US Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell, as he promised to do within 24 hours, the matter is handed over to the US State Department.
"There are a lot of arrangements that go into these things. This is why they can take time," said Boston attorney Norman Zalkind who has represented clients in several extradition cases in Massachusetts.
Drumm is expected to continue to be held in Plymouth County Correctional Facility, about 65km south of Boston, where he has spent most of the four months that he has been held in custody.
His removal from the US is likely to happen along these lines. Probably without notice, US marshals will come to collect him at Plymouth to begin his journey to Ireland.
The marshals will likely bring Drumm to Logan Airport in Boston where they will hand him over to the members of An Garda Síochána.
Handcuffs
“The US marshals will have custody of him until the airport and they will meet them at the airport,” said Zalkind. “There is a question whether on the airplane they will cuff him”.
Once he arrives back in Ireland, Drumm will be brought before the Dublin Metropolitan District Court to be formally charged.
The big question for Drumm is whether the judge will grant him bail.
Drumm will likely find out at that first court hearing in Dublin whether he will walk free from custody on bail or face continued detention pending his trial. That date could be some time away.
