Omagh accused face new legal aid probe
Victims’ families were assured yesterday of a top-level probe during talks with the minister overseeing a €1.2 million grant to bring the suspected bombers to court.
Constitutional affairs minister Lord Filkin was challenged about the decision to foot the legal bills of two top dissident republicans named in the civil action: convicted Real IRA terror chief Michael McKevitt and Liam Campbell.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was among 29 people killed in the explosion, insisted the legal aid decision could not be justified.
He said: “Lord Filkin told us the matter has to be properly investigated. These men have substantial assets so we have to know what level of co-operation there was between the British and Irish governments before legal aid was awarded.”
It has also been reported that Justice Minister Michael McDowell will meet the victims’ families within the next month. The families have asked the Government to make certain documents and trial transcripts available to them in a bid to reduce their outlay.
Just days before the fifth anniversary of the attack, Lord Filkin travelled to Omagh to tell families that the Government money would be handed over by November.
He also revealed cash could be made available to allow other victims of terrorism to mount civil cases.
The minister said: “One always prays and hopes there will never be another incident like this. If there were to be such an incident, then the Government’s mind would not be closed to looking at it.”
The Omagh bombing was the worst outrage in Northern Ireland’s history, devastating the town centre on August 15, 1998, and claiming victims from the Irish Republic and Spain as well as Northern Ireland.
In January 2002, father-of-four Colm Murphy became the only person to be convicted of plotting the attack. The Special Criminal Court in Dublin sentenced the Dundalk-based builder and publican to 14 years in jail.
Last summer, solicitors acting on behalf of the Omagh Victims’ Civil Action Group served writs on five people suspected of involvement in the bombing.
The legal documents were given to McKevitt, Campbell, and Murphy in Portlaoise Jail. Solicitor Jason McCue visited Dundalk last July to serve writs on two other people, Seamus Daly and Seamus McKenna.
Omagh relatives now hope to have their case heard at the Northern Ireland High Court early next year.
Just days before the fifth anniversary of the bombing, Mr Gallagher praised the Government for its change of heart.
He said: “This is a sea change in its thinking and we are just delighted all our work has paid off.”
