By Richard Elias,Ryan Thom
Copyright dailyrecord
A human right lawyers has criticised the arrests of five ‘gangland’ Scots linked to the criminal underworld as a “public relations exercise” . Steven Lyons, Ross “Miami” McGill, Stephen Jamieson, Steven Larwood and a fifth man said to be from Edinburgh were taken into custody by police in the oil-rich city state last week. The secretive nature of the judicial process in Dubai means it has not been possible to establish exactly what is happening, although it is thought they all face extradition back to Scotland, the Scottish Daily Express Reports . For years, the United Arab Emirates was seen as a safe haven for international criminals but a new approach in recent months has seen organised crime suspects extradited back to countries such as Belgium, France and the Republic of Ireland. However, according to one extradition expert, the action is less about judicial reform and more about managing international optics. Radha Stirling, who founded the legal charity Detained in Dubai, explained: “This extradition is being used as a public relations exercise. “The UAE wants to shed its reputation as a criminal safe haven, especially under pressure from Interpol and Western allies. But one extradition doesn’t reflect meaningful change in a legal system that remains opaque, politicised and lacking in basic due process.” “Extraditions from the UAE are rarely the result of impartial legal proceedings. More often, they are part of political or diplomatic bargaining. Quid pro quo arrangements that have little to do with justice. “This makes it incredibly dangerous for anyone with business disputes, political enemies, or public profiles that might make them a target. The UAE continues to host high-profile individuals facing serious international scrutiny. Yet enforcement appears to depend not on the strength of evidence but on whether the person in question is politically and economically expendable. “There is no consistency or transparency and that should deeply concern Ireland and all countries engaging in extradition treaties with the UAE.” Scotland has faced an explosion in gang violence this year, with McGill, 31, seen as the driving force behind the firebombings, shootings and beatings after he was “ripped off” in a £500,000 cocaine deal. The former Rangers ultra is thought to have been paid in fake notes by associates of Edinburgh drugs kingpin Mark Richardson. The feud reignited the decades-old war between the Lyons and Daniel families from north Glasgow, with McGill and his ‘Tamo Junto’ gang allied with the Lyons and Richardson and his allies in league with the Daniels. Graeme Pearson, former director general of Scotland’s Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, told STV News: “Scottish police will need the help of the National Crime Agency to go through to Interpol and Europol and then on to the Dubai authorities. “The negotiations are sensitive but not difficult because all of them are fighting the same fight. If the Scottish police are going to be successful with extraditing people, they need to respect and reflect the standards of other police in different countries.”
