AN AER LINGUS worker charged with organising human trafficking at Dublin Airport has been remanded on bail pending directions from the DPP.

Peter Kernan, 56, of the Old Rectory Lodge, Celbridge, Co. Kildare appeared at Cloverhill District Court today.

He has been charged earlier under the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act for facilitating the entry of non-nationals into the State on 9 January and 22 January last.

He had been remanded in custody last week with consent to bail in his own bond of €2,000 and a €20,000 independent surety.

Bail was taken up today and he was ordered by Judge Victor Blake to appear again at the District Court in March to allow time for directions from the DPP to be obtained.

Gardaí have seized his passport and his bail terms state he has to reside at his home address and notify gardaí of any change, sign on three times a week at Leixlip Garda station, provide gardaí with a mobile phone number on which he can be contacted at all times, not apply for a new passport and have no contact directly or indirectly with co-accused Frederick Cham.

Co-accused men

Aer Lingus employee, Cham, 61, of Railway Cottages, Hazelhatch, Celbridge but originally from Hong Kong, has not yet applied for bail and on Friday last he had his case adjourned for two weeks.

The third co-accused, Chinese national Xing Wang, 28, who is of no fixed abode, is charged under the Theft and Fraud Act with possessing a false Hong Kong passport at the white car park at Dublin Airport on Sunday, 22 January.

He also has two connected charges under the Immigration Act for failing to present to an immigration officer on his arrival in the State and not having a passport. He has not applied for bail and will also face his next hearing at Cloverhill District Court on 10 February next.

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They have not yet indicated how they will plead.

The three were arrested as part of an investigation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau into an alleged people smuggling.

Comments are off as a person has been charged.