Ireland’s second Special Criminal Court becomes operational today

Ireland’s second Special Criminal Court has become operational from today after Acting Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald signed the rules of court on Friday.

It follows the appointment of seven serving judges to its bench in late October 2015.

Ms Fitzgerald said: “I am pleased that signing the rules of court for the two Special Criminal Courts is the final step necessary to enable the Court to start dealing with the backlog of cases and in time this will lead to a reduction in waiting times for trials.

“This underlines the Government’s continued focus to tackle serious crime affecting the security of the State and ensure that those involved in such crimes are brought swiftly to justice.”

The Department of Justice said work will begin immediately to tackle the current backlog of cases.

At present, the next available trial date in the Special Criminal Court is April/May 2018, representing a waiting time of 24-25 months.