The trial of three Irishmen accused of training left-wing guerrillas in Colombia has entered its final stages with the resumption of hearings in Bogota today.
Mr Niall Connolly (36), Mr Martin McCauley (40) and Mr James Monaghan (56) were arrested in August 2001.
The men have spent two years in prison charged training members of left-wing guerrila group FARC and the use of false public documentation.
If convicted, the men could face a prison term of up to 24 years.
The men have refused to appear in court, claiming it to be politically motivated but are understood to be considering making an appearance this week to deliver a statement after the prosecution delivers its summing-up and before the closing speeches by defence lawyers.
At that point they would not be liable to cross-examination.
The men have consistently said they were in Colombia for purposes of tourism and to study the peace process there.
But the prosecution produced witnesses who claimed to have seen them teaching the FARC how to make mortar bombs. The defence responded with verbal, written and video evidence placing the men either in Ireland or, in Mr Connolly's case, in Cuba, when the prosecution claimed they were in Colombia. The prosecution's forensic evidence was also disputed.
The consensus view of the case among neutral observers and non-participants is that the prosecution case has not gone smoothly, but the fact that the verdict is in the hands of a single judge makes it difficult to predict.
Supporters of the men say the judge is under pressure to convict them; this is denied by the Colombian authorities and Judge Acosta.
A team of international observers comprising politicians, lawyers and humanrights activists from three continents are present to observe the trial.