letter which was received by the Extradition Unit at
about 5.00 p.m. on the Monday and he had also read Mr.
Osman's first two affirmations sworn in support of his
application. The Home Secretary has indicated that
there was nothing in the letter or the affirmations
that caused him to wish to reconsider his decision to
order the return of Mr. Osman and that the documents
would not in any event have made any difference to his
decision.
Mr. Thomas makes a number of criticisms about the way the
decision was taken and I will examine the principal criticisms
in turn:
1.
The way in which the decision was rushed and the short
period during which Mr. Osman's
Representations
were
actually considered by the Home Secretary. In justifying
his decision, Miss Montgomery points out the delay which
has already occurred and the fact that it was known that
the Home Secretary would have time to deal with the issue
13