Court’s arrest warrant decision justified, says EU

The EU’s top court has ruled that the High Court was justified in postponing the extradition of a suspected drugs trafficker to Poland amid concerns about alleged political interference in the Polish judicial system.

The Court of Justice of the EU yesterday found that courts must refrain from executing a European arrest warrant if there was a real risk that an individual would not get a fair trial because of concerns about the independence of the judiciary in another EU state.

The Polish authorities have been seeking the extradition from Ireland of a suspected drug trafficker, Artur Celmer, aged 31, for a series of offences dating back to 2007.