Date set for Redmond trial

Mr George Redmond, former Assistant Dublin City and County Manager, is to be arraigned on alleged corruption charges on April 18, 2005 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Mr Redmond was originally scheduled to go on trial on December 1, 2004 but Judge Desmond Hogan agreed to a submission by his counsel, Mr Brendan Grehan SC, on November 26, 2004 to vacate the trial date as Mr Redmond (aged 79) was scheduled to go into hospital surgery in December.

Mr Grehan told Judge Hogan today that Mr Redmond was still suffering from medical complications and was now seeking a second opinion from two medical professors for ongoing health problems that casued him to lose a stone in weight months before the trial.

At the previous hearing Mr Grehan also told Judge Hogan there would be a preliminary application concerning the trial which might take five days and the "fade factor" arising out of all recent publicity had also to be considered.

Mr Grehan’s application in November to adjourn the trial to a later date was supported also by prosecuting counsel, Mr Patrick J McCarthy SC (with Mr Patrick McGrath BL), on what he described as "humanitarian grounds".

Mr McCarthy told Judge Hogan that since a previous conviction against Mr Redmond had been quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal new information had come to light and needed further investigation and the Director of Public Prosecutions wouldn’t wish to proceed at this time.

Judge Hogan also agreed at the November hearing to grant Mr Redmond legal aid after saying he was satisfied after considering Mr Redmond’s statement of means that free legal aid should be allowed for the trial dealing with an allegation of corruption concerning land at Buzzardstown, Co Dublin.