Fugitive loyalists can apply for presidential pardons

MEMBERS of loyalist gangs who carried out a string of atrocities here will be eligible to apply for a presidential pardon under a scheme announced by the Justice Minister last night.

Those suspected of being involved in the killing of Garda Jerry McCabe and who are still on the run will not be considered for a pardon by an eligibility board.

As a political storm was breaking in the North over legislation to clear the way for the return of the “on the runs”, Minister McDowell announced plans for the board to advise the Government.

Following recommendations from the Government, pardons will be granted by the President under Section 13 of the Constitution.

Any individual suspected of committing offences before April 1998 and connected to the Troubles who was affiliated to an organisation on ceasefire will be eligible. That is except two individuals suspected of connection with the death of Garda McCabe and the wounding of his colleague Ben O’Sullivan.

Minister McDowell said only a “handful of cases are likely to arise in this jurisdiction.”

Relatives of those killed in loyalist atrocities, particularly in the 70s, believe this could create an opportunity for those involved to come clean and reveal their roles.

Margaret Irwin of Justice for the Forgotten, which has campaigned on behalf of the relatives of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, said it was something the group will discuss with their legal representatives.

In the case of the killing of Seamus Ludlow, the Co Louth man shot dead in 1976, one of those present, Paul Hosking, has already professed guilt at his involvement and may be open to asking for a pardon.

The focus yesterday was on some 60 republicans who face arrest if they return to the North. They include former MP Owen Carron, Sinn Féin’s US director of publicity Rita O’Hare and Maze escapees Dermot Finucane, brother of murdered solicitor Patrick, and Liam Averill, who walked out of prison during a children’s Christmas party in 1997 dressed as a woman.

Northern secretary Peter Hain said members of the security forces will also be covered by the legislation, effectively admitting members have been involved in serious criminal activities connected to the Troubles.

The scheme here will run in tandem with the one in the North. The bill will face stiff opposition, particularly from Conservatives and Unionists in the British Houses of Parliament.