State begins Drumm extradition process

The State is believed to have begun the process of seeking to extradite former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm from the US to face criminal charges in Ireland.

It is understood that an extradition file has been sent via diplomatic channels to the US authorities, outlining the charges against the former Anglo boss.

This follows a decision by a US court on Tuesday to deny Mr Drumm the chance to write off more than €10 million in personal debts through US bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy judge found Mr Drumm was “not remotely credible” and his conduct was “both knowing and fraudulent”in statement he made to an American bankruptcy court.

Mr Drumm has 14 days to appeal the ruling. The former nationalised bank, now known as Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, had sought to block Mr Drumm's attempt to walk away from his debts through the US bankruptcy process.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed Mr Drumm be charged with up to 30 offences following a joint investigation by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement.

The file, which is reported to be more than 100 pages, includes an outline of the charges and the law in relation to the alleged offences, statements in relation to their gravity in Irish law, court warrants issued here, identification evidence and information in relation to Mr Drumm’s circumstances in the US.

Both the Department of Justice and the Department of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the extradition matter.

The Garda file is believed to have been forwarded to the Department of Justice, then to Foreign Affairs, before being sent via a diplomatic bag to the US.

In a statement, the Department of Justice said: “The decision to seek the extradition of a person charged with a criminal offence rests with the Director of Public Prosecutions and only arises where the director has decided that a person should be prosecuted in the first instance.

“The director is independent in the exercise of her functions and the minister, of course, has no function in deciding whether a person should be charged with an offence. Minister for Justice and Equality [Frances Fitzgerald] is responsible for transmitting an outgoing request for extradition to the appropriate authorities.

“It is contrary to practice to make any comment on whether an extradition request has been received or issued as to do so may only serve to alert the subject of the request.”