Man remanded over false Irish passports

Extradition hearings for a Dublin man alleged to have advertised Irish  passports for sale in the names of dead babies will be…

Extradition hearings for a Dublin man alleged to have advertised Irish  passports for sale in the names of dead babies will be heard in the High Court next month.

He rejected an application for his release that was sought under Article 40 of the Constitution.

Mr Kieran Kelly, counsel for Mr Fallon, sought his client's release on the grounds that the warrants were "void and unlawful" as a result of a recent Supreme Court decision here. But he was remanded in custody until September 5th.

Mr Fallon is accused of conspiracy to defraud the UK Passport Agency by the provision of false passport applications. British police believe Mr Fallon, and alleged co-conspirators, advertised passports for sale in the International Herald Tribune.

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At an earlier hearing the High Court was told in a warrant issued by a Bow Street Magistrate in London that British police claimed that once a customer made contact with Mr Fallon they were offered a choice of suitable names and dates of birth from a list. On provision of a passport photograph and signed blank passport application form these were accompanied by a duplicate birth certificate of a child who had died in infancy and who never had a passport.

British police claimed in the warrant that the scam had been exposed by the Granada television investigative journalism show Tonight with Trevor McDonald.

Information grounding the warrant alleged that in April 1999 the International Herald Tribunecarried an advertisement offering EU Passports for sale for $18,500.

Mr Justice Michael Peart ruled today that warrants issued by British police for the extradition of Michael Fallon, otherwise Micheal O Falluin, with an address at Carysfort Hall, Blackrock, Co Dublin to England were valid.