Former Olympic swimming coach George Gibney has agreed to be extradited from the United States to stand trial in Ireland.
Gibney is wanted here to face 78 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape against four girls aged between eight and 14 at the time of the alleged offences.
He was arrested by US Marshalls at his home in Florida ten days ago and had sought a hearing on his continued detention which was due to take place in Orlando tomorrow.
He met his lawyer last Tuesday and discussed the US Attorney's firm opposition to him being granted bail and the likely course an extradition hearing would follow.
Among the grounds for the US Attorney opposing Gibney being granted bail were his refusal to engage with An Garda Síochána and the fact that he "declined to consent to a voluntary interview" in June 2021.
In court documents Gibney was described as "a flight risk and a danger to the community" and "the court should detain Gibney without bond".
"Gibney is more than 70 years old," the Attorney said "and thus faces the real prospect of spending the remainder of his life in jail".
"In relocating to the United States after the first set of allegations was dismissed, Gibney was able to evade the investigation of these allegations in Ireland," the US Attorney submitted.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The Attorney also said Gibney should not be freed on bail for any amount because it "would not guarantee the fugitive’s presence in court and would invite the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs".
Following that meeting last week between Gibney and the public defender, Fitzgerald Hall, the court was told that George Gibney had agreed to be extradited to Ireland.
Garda sources believe that process will take a number of weeks.
A formal filing agreeing to the extradition request to Ireland is expected shortly.
In a document made public today, the public defender said: "On July 8, 2025, undersigned counsel met with Mr Gibney and fully advised of his rights in an extradition proceeding, his right to a detention hearing, and his right to an extradition hearing. As a result, Mr Gibney has decided to withdraw his request to a detention hearing and stipulate to detention. Likewise, Mr. Gibney advised counsel he wants to waive his extradition hearing and be extradited to Ireland. An Affidavit of Waiver of Extradition Hearing will be filed as soon as possible."
