AN AIRBUS 320 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITHOUT A CURRENT MAINT RELEASE. FLT STOPPED PRIOR TO TKOF.

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BRIEF AND REVIEW OF PAPERWORK AT XA00. NOTED AND DISCUSSED WITH CAPT; WRITE-UP FOR INBOUND DEFECT OF BURNT OIL SMELL ALONG WITH HISTORY LOG WRITE-UP DATED JUL/THU/03: CABIN AIR HAS HOT BURNT OIL SMELL AND JUL/THU/03 LOG WRITE UP: L ENG DEFECT N1 VIBRATION. CAPT SIGNED RELEASE VIA UNIMATIC. PROCEEDED TO GATE FOR STANDARD PREFLT PROCS. CAPT PERFORMED WALKAROUND AND I INPUTTED FMC DATA; ETC. LOGBOOK WAS REVIEWED BY THE CAPT AND MYSELF NOTING THE MAINT RELEASE AND MATCHING IT WITH THE ACARS RELEASE MAINT RELEASE ZZZ3 XA00. ALL LOGBOOK COUPONS MAINT RELEASE. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT MAINT WAS BEING PERFORMED. BAGS LOADED; PAX ON BOARD. ON-TIME PUSHBACK. NORMAL START; TAXI. FOR SOME REASON ON TAXI OUT; I MENTIONED THE MAINT RELEASE AND WE RECONFIRMED OUR PAPERWORK. (NOTE: I BELIEVE THAT I ASSOCIATED THE INBOUND LOG WRITE-UP WITH THE JUL/THU/03 AND JUL/THU/O3 WRITE-UPS AND CONSIDERED THEM CLR. THERE WAS NO INDICATION FROM OUR ARR TO FLT OPS TO THE HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY THAT ANY MAINT WAS BEING PERFORMED ON THE ACFT.) TAXIED TO HOLD SHORT AND RECEIVED A CALL FROM ZZZ1 TWR TO RETURN TO GATE FOR MAINT ISSUES. NOTE: IF IT WASN'T FOR A MECH WHO NOTICED OUR TAXI OUT; WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN OFF. HE WAS THE ONE WHO CONTACTED THE TWR; AFTER FAILING WITH FLT OPS; IN ORDER TO HAVE US RETURN. ON RETURN TO GATE; WE DISCOVERED THAT OUR MAINT RELEASE WAS NOT CURRENT. FACTORS THAT LED TO THIS ERROR: 1) WE DID NOT CORRECTLY IDENT THE INBOUND LOG ITEM AS BEING OPEN; 2) FLT OPS FAILED TO INFORM US THAT THE ACFT WAS ON DECISION; 3) MAINT LEFT NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT WAS UNDER MAINT; 4) TRANSITION TO RAMPERS PUSHING BACK TOOK MAINT OUT OF THE 'NORMAL' ROUTINE OF ASKING IF WE RECEIVED THE CURRENT MAINT RELEASE. IN FACT MAINT WOULD HAVE NEVER PUSHED US BACK; AND 5) TOTAL BREAKDOWN IN COM. ELECTRONICALLY (RLS ACARS MAINT RELEASE) AND OPERATIONALLY: MAINT-FLT OPS-RAMP-CREW.