4th April 2022
4th March 2022 Highland Radio Broadcast
On the show this morning our contributor Seamus Gunn addressed the developments in the USA when he reviewed the latest sequel in the select committees’ pursuit of ex-US president Donald Trump. He referenced the show on the 10th of December 2021 in relation to Mark Meadows refusing to appear before the committee, who continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the riot which resulted in 5 deaths. Having said that, they have now gained access to records, documents and memos of the ex-president leading up to the 6th of January 2021 and they are now pursuing the matter in Los Angeles as the committee is considering passing along evidence of alleged criminal conduct by Mr. Trump to the US Justice Department. He said that the claim being advanced was that Mr. Trump and others engaged in criminal and/or fraudulent acts and also a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States. He said that the focus was now on John Eastman, a lawyer, who was responsible for the strategy to overturn the election results. He said that the privilege point had not been accepted and that if there was a criminal referral, this would result in the Attorney General having to consider charging the former president, which would be a first. He said that while Mr. Trump was continuing to fight on, he was now being pursued on 2 fronts in a pincer movement between New York and LA, and that the net was closing ever so slowly. As predicted in December, this story continues to gain traction and will likely be revisited.
Once again, the Q&A from the listeners touched on a number of legal headings and can be listened to below.
24th January 2022
7th January 2022 Highland Radio Broadcast
No sooner has one year ended than a new one begins with another lively virtual broadcast with Seamus Gunn on the Greg Hughes show. The opening topic was the highlighting of the Pat Hickey ticket touting case from Brazil which was in the headlines midweek with 3 of the charges being dropped against Pat Hickey, Kevin Mallon, and Barbara Carnieri. Our contributor pointed out that the matter dated back to 2016 when there was a media frenzy around the arrest of Pat Hickey who was then the President of the Olympic Council or Ireland under an allegation of ticket touting together with his co-accused Kevin Mallon and Barbara Carnieri. Seamus Gunn made the point that the decision had been published as far back as the 18th of October 2021 but had only now come into the public domain in Ireland. He said that the unusual expression of “extinction of punishabality” was the justification for the dropping of 3 charges which he said were more minor to the more significant charges which carried penalties of 3-8 years imprisonment. He explained that the charges relating to the use of the logo, tax evasion and personal selling of tickets were all discarded. He made the point that this matter has been trundling along for upwards of 6 years, he expressed some doubt as to whether there was an appetite to see the prosecutions through. Meanwhile Pat Hickey has a bail bond of € 410,000.00. In relation to the accused’s appearing in Court, he said that if they had to appear in person there was to be an 8-month notice period. He said that in such circumstances in this jurisdiction where one’s liberty was at risk; the accused would be in Court. He said that it was recognised that the Courts had an obligation to ensure litigation is concluded in a timely manner which was far from the case in these prosecutions. He explained that the more serious charges of organising the ticket sales together with the larceny charge remained with criminal organisation charges and that these would now have to be addressed and a date set for hearing, which had not occurred. It was likely that this case shall be revisited in the coming year.
The Q&A session that followed can be listened to below.