February verdict for Colombia Three

THREE Irishmen who have spent nearly two-and-a-half years in jail in Colombia must wait at least another two months before a judge rules on whether they are guilty of training left-wing rebels in the South American country.

The judge in the trial of Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley said yesterday he does not expect to make a ruling before February at the earliest.

The Colombian judiciary has been criticised for the slow pace of the trial of the three men, arrested in August 2001 and accused of assisting Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas and travelling on false passports. They face sentences of between eight and 14 years on the training charges and between two and eight years for possessing false documents.