A legal loophole which would allow Ibrahim Halawa to leave his Egyptian jail still won't be used by the Irish Government, despite the fact that he has been imprisoned there for three years.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan says they want to wait until a verdict has been given in his case before trying to use a possible loophole to try and free him.
Law 140, which was used to get journalist Peter Greste freed, states that the President of Egypt can allow a prisoner with dual citizenship to complete the judicial process in his home country.
Ibrahim Halawa is due to stand trial at the end of the month, after he was arrested photographing a Muslim Brotherhood protest in Cairo in 2013.
Minister Flanagan stated he was disappointed that the application for bail made by Halawa's lawyers was not successful, and added "I believe that as soon as a verdict is handed down by the courts we will then have an opportunity of prusuig issues under the presidential decree".
