Fugitive Irishman Joseph O'Connor, who is wanted by the Southern Californian authorities for allegedly polluting San Diego harbour, was granted bail yesterday.

Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna granted bail in view of the fact that proceedings were now in an advanced stage and that the accused was considering giving himself up to the US authorities. Bail was granted on condition that Mr O'Connor make a deposit of €20,000, a personal guarantee of €30,000 and sign the bail book every day.

He is wanted by the American authorities for allegedly throwing concrete, plastic, scrap metal and other waste into the harbour in 2006 after carrying out renovation work on a fishing vessel, the 150-foot F/V Maru. The Maltese authorities managed to track him down through his tug-boat business in Malta.

The US authorities issued an arrest warrant in 2007 and the fugitive was brought to court to face extradition charges last July 16, after his photo and details had appeared on the Interpol website, in the wanted section, which gives a detailed description of him and the crimes he allegedly committed.

Lawyers Steve Tonna Lowell and Patrick Valentino appeared for Mr O'Connor.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.