Two Georgian men have been convicted and fined in Tralee District Court for attempting to enter Ireland illegally through Kerry Airport.
The two men are now applying for asylum in Ireland, over what their solicitor described as issues with political organisations in Georgia.
Applicants for international protection are legally entitled to anonymity, meaning the two men cannot be identified by the media.
The two men travelled from Georgia to Ireland via Spain, and arrived in Kerry Airport on a flight from Alicante.
They initially tried to walk past immigration and had to be brought back by force, also initially refusing to co-operate and disclose their identities.
The men’s phones were checked, and gardaí obtained their identities from Facebook on their phones; however, it was not confirmed these were their identities until gardaí sought assistance from Interpol and Georgian police.
The plane travelling from Alicante to Kerry Airport had no record of the two men on its flight manifest, which lists all passengers and crew on the flight.
This meant that the men, who both legally hold Georgian passports under their real identities, travelled from Spain to Ireland with false documents which they then destroyed before arriving at Kerry Airport.
The men were represented by solicitor Brendan Ahern, and were spoken to through a Georgian interpreter throughout the court hearing.
Mr Ahern said his clients are applying for asylum due to issues with political organisations in Georgia.
Mr Ahern said they claim to have legitimate reasons why they left Georgia, and now these claims will have to be validated by another arm of the state, through their international protection application.
Judge David Waters said the men went to great lengths to conceal their identities, by destroying their passports and trying to bypass immigration at Kerry Airport.
Mr Ahern said his clients were acting out of fear, and they were advised this was the best way to leave Georgia and enter Ireland; he said they may have been advised incorrectly.
Judge Waters said the men tried to enter Ireland illegally, before changing their minds after two days of not co-operating, and then applied for asylum.
Both men pleaded guilty to one count each of failure to present at immigration, and one count of failure to produce a valid passport.
Each man was convicted and fined €200, and will now proceed with applications for international protection.
