An FBI agent is to be the main prosecution witness against Mr Michael McKevitt, who faces charges of directing terrorist offences, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin heard yesterday.
Mr George Birmingham SC, prosecuting, said Mr David Rupert, an FBI agent, would be the principal prosecution witness in the case.
He said the State would be opposing bail for Mr McKevitt on the grounds that if granted bail he would commit further offences. Mr Birmingham said the defence had indicated it wanted documentation to assess the strength of the case before applying for bail.
He said an amount of documentation had already been furnished to the defence apart from a statement from Mr Rupert. He said a statement had been furnished by Mr Rupert but it was not yet ready in the form that it would appear in the book of evidence.
Mr Birmingham said that once the statement was complete it would be furnished to the defence.
Mr McKevitt's counsel, Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, said the defence would be asking to see all statements made by Mr Rupert.
The court remanded Mr McKevitt in custody until May 14th when the case will be mentioned again.
Mr Michael McKevitt (51), of Beech Park, Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth, is charged with being a member of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army between August 29th, 1999, and March 28th, 2001, and with directing the activities of that organisation in the State between August 29th, 1999, and October 23rd last year.
He was charged on March 30th, the day after he was arrested at his home in Blackrock. Mr McKevitt is the first person to be charged with directing an unlawful organisation, an offence under Section 6 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998.
The Act was brought in on September 3rd, 1998, just two weeks after the Omagh bombing in which 29 people died and over 200 were injured.
Under the Act, anybody one convicted of directing an unlawful organisation is liable to imprisonment for life.