Press Release from the Association for the truth about the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier born Bouniol:

"We members of the Association express our outrage at the postponement until October 13, 2010 of the hearing by the Irish High Court of Justice concerning the execution of the European arrest warrant issued in February by the French courts.

The murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in Ireland in 1996 has left a family in distress and misery for nearly 14 years. As a result of dilatory tactics employed  by the legal team of the wanted person and tolerated by the Irish Court, the process of justice has effectively been thwarted.

We do not understand the reasons that the Irish authorities did not respect the deadlines, as outlined in the cooperation agreement of 2002 on the European Arrest Warrant (*). This was ratified in 2003 and integrated in the Irish judicial system.

We question the hesitations on this issue. Our organization reserves the right, when appropriate, to ask for a public explanation of a situation which is rapidly becoming unacceptable. We demand that the request for extradition by France be granted in accordance with European law so that this heinous crime finally can be judged in a fair way in accordance with internationally recognized judicial standards".

(*) COUNCIL FRAMEWORK DECISION of 13 June 2002 on the European arrest warrant and the surrender procedures between Member States

Article 17

Time limits and procedures for the decision to execute the European arrest warrant

1. 1. A European arrest warrant shall be dealt with and executed as a matter of urgency.
   

2. 2. In cases where the requested person consents to his surrender, the final decision on the execution of the European arrest warrant should be taken within a period of 10 days after consent has been given.
   

3. 3. In other cases, the final decision on the execution of the European arrest warrant should be taken within a period of 60 days after the arrest of the requested person.
   

4. 4. Where in specific cases the European arrest warrant cannot be executed within the time limits laid down in paragraphs 2 or 3, the executing judicial authority shall immediately inform the issuing judicial authority thereof, giving the reasons for the delay. In such case, the time limits may be extended by a further 30 days.
   

5. 5. As long as the executing judicial authority has not taken a final decision on the European arrest warrant, it shall ensure that the material conditions necessary for effective surrender of the person remain fulfilled.
   

6. 6. Reasons must be given for any refusal to execute a European arrest warrant.
   

7. 7. Where in exceptional circumstances a Member State cannot observe the time limits provided for in this Article, it shall inform Eurojust, giving the reasons for the delay. In addition, a Member State which has experienced repeated delays on the part of another Member State in the execution of European arrest warrants shall inform the Council with a view to evaluating the implementation of this Framework Decision at Member State level.

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