Dublin unhappy at Finucane inquiry delay

The Government today expressed disappointment that a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane will be delayed.

In a statement, Foreign Minister Brian Cowen welcomed the British government’s decision to set up inquiries into the controversial murders of Portadown Catholic Robert Hamill, human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson and loyalist terror boss Billy Wright.

The inquiries were ordered following the publication today of reports by retired Canadian judge Peter Cory on the Nelson, Hamill, Wright and Finucane killings.

However Mr Cowen said the Government believed there should be an inquiry into alleged security force involvement in the killing of Mr Finucane.

He said: “I am very disappointed with the decision of the British government to delay action on the judge’s recommendation that a public inquiry be established quickly into the circumstances of the murder of Pat Finucane.

“Judge Cory came to the conclusion that the greater benefit to society would come from public inquiries rather than prosecutions. He said: ‘This may be one of those rare situations where a public inquiry will be of greater benefit to the community than prosecutions.’ I agree with that view.

“The Finucane family has called for a public inquiry for more than 14 years.

“Like the other three families involved, they want and are entitled to see the timely establishment of inquiries into all of the cases, in full accordance with the commitments made by the two governments at Weston Park in August 2001.

“That is the only way to honour the commitments given at Weston Park.”

Mr Finucane was shot 14 times in a loyalist Ulster Freedom Fighters attack in front of his family in his north Belfast home in February 1989.

The British government said today a public inquiry would take place once all criminal proceedings relating to the case had been completed.

Mr Cowen said he agreed with the nationalist SDLP that a public inquiry was required to uncover the controversial circumstances surrounding not only the murder of Pat Finucane, but all of the circumstances identified by Judge Cory.

The Foreign Minister commended Judge Cory for his work and said the reports raised “very troubling questions about the rule of law in Northern Ireland.”