The judge deciding the fate of three Irish men accused of training Colombian rebels in terrorist tactics has said he cannot make a ruling in the case until the end of the year - or even the beginning of 2004.
Judge Jairo Acosta told Associated Press in Bogotá that his overwhelming caseload made it "physically impossible" for him to issue a verdict within the recommended 15 working days after the trial ended on August 1.
James Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly were arrested in Bogotá's airport in August 2001 after they flew out of a sanctuary of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, (Farc) in the southern Colombia jungle.
During their nine-month trial, the defendants were portrayed by prosecutors as evil men who trained the rebels in explosives and terrorist tactics. But defence insisted that their clients only wanted to observe Colombia's now defunct peace process.
The Farc lost their safe haven when peace talks with the government collapsed in February 2002.
The men are charged with training terrorists as well as falsification of identity for travelling to Colombia on false passports.
The terrorism charges carry between eight and 14 years in prison, and the false identity between two and eight. If found guilty on both charges, the men could face up to 22 years in prison, Judge Acosta said.
