The celebrity chef, Conrad Gallagher, has been remanded in custody by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He is due to appear again on Tuesday morning next when a trial date will be fixed.
Judge Michael White refused to grant bail to Mr Gallagher. He said the first duty of Conrad Gallagher and every citizen was to answer to his bail and return for his trial date.
He had been due to go on trail on 15 October 2002 in connection with the alleged theft of three paintings from his former restaurant, Peacock Alley, in the Fitzwilliam Hotel, in Dublin. He failed to turn up and he was arrested in New York earlier this year.
Mr Gallagher appeared in court this morning dressed in a white t-shirt and beige casual trousers, looked drawn and tired during his brief appearance. He made no comment throughout the short hearing.
His solicitor Karl Haughton told the judge his client sincerely apologised to the court for his failure to attend for his trial last October. He then told the court Mr Gallagher had married and set up a business in New York.
He had stayed in the US after an application for an adjournment failed but it was his intention to come back when his application for citizenship in the US was processed.
Mr Haughton said Mr Gallagher always maintained and still maintains his innocence of the charges.
Bail was sought but it was opposed by the Chief Prosecution office and Judge Michael White turned down the application.
Extradited from New York
Earlier, Mr Gallagher had been escorted to Dublin on a scheduled flight from New York, after being extradited from the US to faces the charges.
He dropped last-minute plans to fight his extradition when he learned that it would not affect his right to obtain US citizenship in the future.
The Donegal-born chef has spent the last month in a New York prison after being arrested outside his Manhattan bar, Traffic, which he opened with his American wife.
Five years ago, at the age of 27, Conrad Gallagher won a prestigious Michelin star for one of his restaurants.
