The von Arnim letter was written in December 1985 on behalf of the Minister for Justice to the then representative of the UNHCR, Mr. R. von Arnim. It set out an agreed procedure for the determination of refugee status in Ireland. The case resulted in the von Arnim letter being upheld as creating a binding obligation on the Minister for Justice. The Court stated that having established such a scheme, however informally, the Minister was bound to apply it to appropriate cases and his decision would be subject to judicial review.
Gutrani v Minister for Justice
| Respondent/Defendant: | Minister for Justice |
| Court/s: | High Court, Supreme Court |
| Citation/s: | [1993] 2 IR 427, Unreported |
| Judgment Date/s: | 03 Jun 1992 |
| Judge: | O’Hanlon |
| Category: | Refugee Law |
| Keywords: | Refugee, Refugee Law, Refugee Status |
| Principles: | The von Arnim letter, written in December 1985 and which set out an agreed procedure for the determination of refugee status in Ireland, on behalf of the Minister for Justice to the then representative of the UNHCR, Mr. R. von Arnim, was binding on the Minister. |
