ROBERT VERKAIK: BUREAUCRATS ARE ABUSING POWERS DESIGNED TO TRAP TERRORISTS

Garry Mann

THE INDEPENDENT - Comment

Under Britain's old extradition laws it is highly doubtful that Garry Mann would have ever faced the prospect of serving two years in a foreign prison after a trial roundly criticised by judges in this country.

But the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) does not entertain the idea that the criminal justice system of another EU member state is capable of delivering an unjust outcome. The underlying rationale of the EAW is that there is rough uniformity across Europe in the prosecution and criminal trial processes.

The warrant has played a part in helping Europe's security forces combat serious crime, but in the hands of bureaucrats it has also proved to be a power that has caused grave injustice in cases of very minor crime.