Finucane widow fights for public probe into killing

THE go-ahead was given yesterday for the widow of murdered Belfast solicitor Patrick Finucane to challenge the British Government’s failure to set up a public inquiry into the killing.

Geraldine Finucane was granted leave to apply for a judicial review in the Northern Ireland High Court through which she hopes to force the British Government to set up an inquiry into the murder 15 years ago.

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family by the loyalist Ulster Freedom Fighters in his north Belfast home. There have been constant allegations on security force collusion in the murder.

During a brief hearing, Mr Justice Gillen set a date of April 22 for the application. The proceedings were given the go-ahead a week after the same judge “reluctantly” agreed to a government request for a three-week adjournment of a judicial review seeking to compel Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy to publish a report into the killing and three other contentious loyalist murders in which it has been also been alleged there was security force collusion.

The reports, produced by retired Canadian Supreme Court judge Peter Cory, were presented to the British Government last October.

Despite the Irish Government publishing two reports it received into the IRA murders of two senior RUC officers and a Belfast High Court judge and his wife in December, the British Government has been delaying, citing security implications.

At the hearing last week, a lawyer for the British Government said it wanted the adjournment as work on preparing publication was continuing.

He said that within three weeks the report would be published, or a framework for publication established.

In the absence of publication of the reports by the government, Judge Cory has already told the families of the four murder victims he has recommended a public inquiry in each case.

The Finucane family yesterday launched the latest court proceedings arguing the calling of a public inquiry is not dependent on publication of the Cory Report. They highlight a commitment given by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2001 to set up a public inquiry into the Finucane murder if Judge Cory recommended it.

The other murders Judge Cory reported on were the loyalist killing of solicitor Rosemary Nelson, the murder of Catholic Robert Hamill and the murder of Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright.