The former financier, Mr Finbarr Ross, is expected to fly into Belfast this morning following his extradition to Northern Ireland from the US under a warrant accusing him of 41 fraud-related charges following the collapse of his company International Investments Ltd (IIL) in 1984.

Cork-born Mr Ross (53), will be accompanied on the flight from Washington DC by an RUC inspector and, it was confirmed last night, is due to make his first court appearance later today at a special sitting of the Belfast Magistrates Court.

A solicitor for Mr Ross told The Irish Times yesterday that he would not allow the case to be rushed. Mr Joe Rice, a Belfast-based solicitor. said his client would be pleading not guilty.

"We will argue he had no criminal involvement and that the length of time that has passed since the alleged offences in 1983 and 1984. This, coupled with the fact that warrants were only issued for his arrest in Northern Ireland in 1996, means that due to the passage of time, he believes he cannot receive a fair trial."