Britain ‘in bid to halt Finucane inquiry’
Scotland Yard chief John Stevens was allegedly urged to declare his probe into the controversial killing could lead to a clutch of prosecutions which would block any such tribunal, the Northern Ireland High Court was told.
Even though retired Canadian Judge Peter Cory found enough evidence of security force collusion to call for a hearing into the February 1989 Finucane murder, Secretary of State Paul Murphy has so far resisted the growing demands.
Mr Murphy insists any decision must be delayed until after the trial of Belfast man Ken Barrett, who is charged with killing the lawyer.
But as Mr Finucane's widow Geraldine yesterday continued her legal battle with the British Government in a bid to force a judicial review, it was claimed attempts were made to use Stevens and his officers. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner was consulted after the Cory report which recommended public inquiries into four killings examined was handed to the authorities last year, the court heard.
When the Stevens team met the Finucane family for the first time in Belfast in February, the senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cox, allegedly disclosed he was being urged to declare "a whole string" of arrests and charges were imminent.
Seamus Treacey QC, for Mrs Finucane, said: "The court has been told nothing at all about this post-Corey consultation exercise where the government have been attempting to lean on the Stevens team to get them to say that future prosecutions would be an obstacle to a public inquiry."
Although files on 20 soldiers and police officers have been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions as part of the Stevens investigation, Mr Treacey insisted the family were told all of these were "marginal" to their demands.
Referring to the meeting with Met officers, Mr Treacey said: "Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cox replied that they could quite confidently say that the only impediment to a public inquiry is the Barrett case."
Stevens also allegedly informed the family that that obstacle could be removed by September when the accused is due to go on trial.
With pressure allegedly being exerted on the detectives, Mr Cox also revealed letters had been sent to the authorities stressing they would not be used to hold up a public inquiry, the court was told.
A lawyer for the government refused to confirm if it would hold a public inquiry into Mr Finucane's killing.
Bernard McCloskey QC insisted the only decision taken so far was contained in a statement made when the Cory report was published.
Mr Murphy had told parliament the government would set out the way ahead once the criminal justice process ended.
But pressed in court yesterday, Mr McCloskey said: "I don't have instructions to add in any way to the wording."
The judge stressed he had been given a number of opportunities to end the uncertainty. As he ended the preliminary hearing over whether to allow a new affidavit, Mr Justice Gillen pledged to raise the issue at the start of the full hearing next month.
He said: "I'm certainly not satisfied that the government have given such an undertaking."
Outside the court, Mrs Finucane vowed to hold the authorities to commitments she insisted had been made.
"This just emphasises that the government intends to renege on their promises and are continuing the delay there's been for the last 15 years," she said.
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