Murdered solicitor: Go-ahead for court challenge

The go-ahead was given today for the widow of murdered Belfast solicitor Patrick Finucane to challenge the UK 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 UK 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 UK government request for a three-week adjournment of a judicial review seeking to compel the 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 UK 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 privately told the families of the four murder victims he has recommended a public inquiry in each case.

The Finucane family today launched the latest court proceedings arguing that the calling of a public inquiry is not dependent on publication of the Cory Report.

They highlight a commitment given by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2001 to set up a public inquiry into the Finucane murder if Judge Cory recommended one.

The other murders Judge Cory reported on to the British government were:

:: The loyalist killing of solicitor Rosemary Nelson who was blown up by an under-car booby trap bomb as she drove away from her home in Lurgan, Co Armagh in 1999.

:: The murder of Catholic Robert Hamill, who was kicked to death by a loyalist mob in 1997.

:: The murder of Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright who was shot dead by the INLA inside the Maze Prison in 1997.