£100k bail request for Derry drug accused adjourned
District Judge Suzanne Rice pauses a request to let Gian Marcia Merlonghi return to Italy, demanding written assurances from immigration services.
A District Judge at Derry Magistrate's Court has adjourned until Wednesday an application for a variation in a drug defendant's bail conditions after she was told that the defendant's father had arrived from Italy and was willing to lodge a £100,000 surety for his son to enable him to return to Italy.
The applicant, Gian Marcia Merlonghi, 30, whose address was given as Lower Main Street in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, was applying to have his court imposed bail conditions varied to allow him to return to his native Italy.
He's been charged with possessing, possessing with intent to supply and with being concerned in supplying class A drugs. He faces three similar charges in relation to other drugs and is alleged to have committed the six offences in Derry on March 18 of this year.
Moving the application solicitor Derwin Harvey told District Judge Suzanne Rice that among the the defendant's current bail conditions was one that he had to reside in Northern Ireland.
The solicitor said the defendant's father had travelled over from Italy and wants his son to be allowed to return to his home address in Italy.
Mr Harvey said: "To enable that to happen he would have to have the curfew removed and his passport returned. His father is willing to put up a cash surety of £100,000".
A police officer told the court that the investigating officer in the case had initially objected to bail because when the defendant was in custody immigration officials informed the investigating officer that the defendant had overstayed his welcome in the North.
The immigration officials had said if the defendant left the country he would not be allowed back in but now immigration are saying they will allow him back into into the country for any ongoing criminal proceedings.
The court heard police yad agreed the bail variation application.
Mr. Harvey said there were also character references in relation to both the applicant and his father before the court.
District Judge Suzanne Rice said she wanted written assurances from the immigration officials that there would be no bar to the applicant being returned to Northern Ireland if he's allowed to return to Italy.
"'There needs to be written confirmation before me from the immigration services to that effect, that there will be no obstruction to him coming back to this jurisdiction. I am therefore adjourning his bail variation application until Wednesday in order to get that confirmation and to give the immigration services time to outline their attitude to this bail variation", she said.