
A senior EU judge has leapt to the defence of the Irish High Court justice who was criticised in Poland for suspending a drug suspect's extradition earlier this year.
Judge Eugene Regan, Ireland's nominee to the Court of Justice of the European Union, said the decision by Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly "created consternation in Poland".
"There was a lot of public comment and indeed unfair comment of the Irish High Court judge for raising that issue," he told an Institute of International and European Affairs event in Dublin.
The extradition was suspended last March due to concerns over the violation of the independence of Poland's judiciary, but the suspect's surrender to Poland was eventually ordered earlier this month.
Judge Regan said Ms Justice Donnelly "acted in a completely balanced and correct manner" throughout.