Tanaiste Simon Coveney has said it’s up to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as to whether they can take a case successfully against Lisa Smith.
Mr Coveney insisted that the State acted in the interest of Ms Smith’s two-year-old daughter to enable the duo to return to Ireland from war-torn Syria.
He said: “It’s up to the DPP to determine on the back of a report from An Garda Síochána as to whether they can take a case successfully against Lisa Smith.
“For people who are rightly concerned and asking questions about a two-year-old little girl who wasn’t born in Ireland but who is an Irish citizen - Tusla have been working with An Garda Síochána and with Lisa Smith’s wider family to ensure that her welfare is looked after.”
Speaking on RTE’s ‘This Week’ programme Mr Coveney said Ireland had valid concerns about the welfare of the little girl who had been living in a camp in northern Syria.
He said: “(She was) in a camp that we know from UNICEF reports was extremely dangerous for children - in fact, the conditions were described as dire and with significant child mortality.”
In a statement, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said he wanted to reassure the public’s concerns now that Ms Smith was back in Ireland.
He said: “This is a sensitive case and I want to reassure people that all relevant State agencies are closely involved.
“A multi-agency network is in place here comprising agency personnel who engage on an ongoing basis with international colleagues regarding emerging practice in relation to the complex issue of radicalisation.”
