Richard O'Halloran allowed to leave China after three years
- Published
Mr O'Halloran had been working for a Dublin-based aircraft leasing firm
An Irish businessman who had been prevented from leaving China for almost three years can return home, Ireland's foreign affairs minister has confirmed.
Richard O'Halloran, a director at CALS Ireland (China International Aviation Leasing Service), travelled to Shanghai in February 2019.
Broadcaster RTÉ reported the firm was in dispute with China's authorities.
When he tried to leave the country, Mr O'Halloran was told an exit ban had been placed on his passport.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the past three years had been a "traumatic" experience for Mr O'Halloran and his family.
He added his return had taken "many months of work" and he wished them well.
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Mr O'Halloran has already flown out of Shanghai and is expected to arrive in the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the O'Halloran family said: "His family is delighted with the news and is looking forward to Richard's return home."
They added that he also appears to be in good health.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin "warmly welcomed" Mr O'Halloran's return.
In a Twitter post, he said he acknowledged "the work of many people in Ireland and China" who helped make this possible, while also paying tribute to the O'Halloran family.
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In a previous interview with RTÉ Prime Time last year, Mr O'Halloran said he had travelled to China to resolve a commercial matter and to meet investors.
He described a fear that he would be imprisoned "even though I was innocent".
Mr O'Halloran said in August 2020 he had collapsed and suffered from "acute anxiety and stress", as well as "sleep deprivation and mental stress" as a result of his detention.
Barry Andrews, Fianna Fáil MEP (Member of the European Parliament) for Dublin, who was involved in the campaign for Mr O'Halloran's release, said his four children have been denied their father for the last three years.
He added that his mother, who is in her 80s, did not know if she would see her son again.
"So it's just an enormous relief on a human basis that he's on his way home to his family," he added.