A defamation case brought by former Irish republican leader Gerry Adams against the BBC over a programme alleging he was involved in the killing of a British spy is set to open in Dublin on Tuesday.
A BBC Northern Ireland "Spotlight" investigation broadcast in 2016 alleged that Adams sanctioned the 2006 murder of Denis Donaldson, a former official in the pro-Irish unity Sinn Fein party Adams used to head.
At a press conference in 2005, Adams revealed that Donaldson spied for the British intelligence agency MI5.
The 55-year-old, who later admitted working as a British agent, was found shot dead in County Donegal, where he lived close to the Northern Ireland border.
In 2009, the dissident Irish republican paramilitary group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the murder.
The BBC programme featured testimonies that claimed Adams sanctioned the killing.
Adams denies the accusations and is suing the BBC for damages over the "Spotlight" episode and an article on the BBC website that he alleges are defamatory.
The case at Dublin's High Court is expected to last around three weeks.
In total, more than 3,600 people were killed during Northern Ireland's sectarian conflict known as the "Troubles", which largely ended after a 1998 peace accord.
In 2018, Adams stepped down as leader of Sinn Fein -- the paramilitary IRA's political wing during the Troubles -- and has always denied being a member of the IRA.