A businessman living in Denmark has secured High Court permission to challenge the withdrawal of his Irish citizenship. Mr Sohail Akram, with an address in Albertlunds, Denmark, also secured leave to seek a judicial review of a decision by the authorities to retain his Irish passport.
The court heard the passport was lodged in the Irish Embassy in Copenhagen in 1993 when Mr Akram applied for Irish citizenship for his son.
The court was told Mr Akram had married Ms Kathleen Kelly, an Irish citizen, in July 1984.
In an affidavit, Mr Akram In 1986 he had applied for Irish citizenship on the basis of his marriage to Ms Kelly and this was granted.
In 1990, the marriage had deteriorated and the couple separated. Mr Akram said he moved to Denmark.
Mr Akram said he applied in 1993 for Irish citizenship for his son, born under his second marriage. He said the Irish Embassy did not return his passport.
In March last, the Department of Justice had informed him that his second marriage within four months of his first had cast doubt on the subsistence of his marriage to Ms Kelly at the time when he had made his declaration of acceptance of Irish citizenship.
Later the same month, the Irish Embassy in Copenhagen informed him that his request for Irish citizenship for his son was being refused and his Irish passport was being impounded.
Counsel for Mr Akram said the Irish authorities had not proved his client's marriage to Ms Kelly was a sham. Mr Justice Geoghegan granted Mr Akram leave to seek judicial reviews of the State's decisions to withdraw citizenship and withhold his passport.