THE WIDOW of solicitor Pat Finucane has welcomed the announced today that an independent public inquiry will finally be held into his death.
Despite recommendations over the years, there has been no public inquiry into the death of Mr Finucane, who was shot in front of his wife Geraldine and their three children by loyalist paramilitaries in 1989.
Mrs Finucane, who was also injured in the attack, said the inquiry could be a ‘watershed moment’ for other legacy cases involving allegations of collusion.
‘Unique circumstances’
An investigation into several Troubles-era deaths, including that of Mr Finucane, was agreed upon as part of the 2001 Weston Park talks between the British and Irish governments.
However, while both jurisdictions subsequently established inquiries into numerous deaths, no inquiry was held over the 39-year-old solicitor’s murder.
This was despite a 2004 commitment from the British Government to do so following the conclusion of criminal proceedings at the time, which saw Ken Barrett jailed for a minimum of 22 years after confessing to the Mr Finucane’s murder.
Barrett was released in 2006 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement after serving less than three years.
Subsequent governments have rejected calls for an inquiry but Investigations and reviews have been held into the murder, with several finding evidence of state collusion.
Following a review in 2012, then-Prime Minister David Cameron apologised in the Commons to Mr Finucane’s family on behalf of the British Government, citing the ‘shocking levels of state collusion’ in the case.
However, he added that he disagreed with the family’s assertion that ‘a public inquiry would produce a fuller picture of what happened and what went wrong’.
Speaking in the Commons today, Northern Ireland Secretary Hillary Benn said that ‘the plain fact is that two decades on, the commitment made by the Government… to establish an inquiry into the death of Mr Finucane remains unfulfilled’.
“It is for this exceptional reason that I have decided to establish an independent inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane under the 2005 Inquiries Act,” he added.
Mr Benn added that he had every faith in the abilities of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), established under the much-criticised Legacy Act, which the Labour Government has pledged to repeal.
“However, given the unique circumstances of this case, and the solemn commitment made by the government in 2001 and again in 2004, the only appropriate way forward is to establish a public inquiry,” he added.
Search for truth ‘has kept us going’
In a statement today, Mrs Finucane welcomed the opportunity ‘to participate in a statutory inquiry and expose publicly the whole truth behind the murder of my husband’.
“This has always been the objective of the campaign that my family and I have pursued for 35 years,” she said.
“We have only ever been concerned with uncovering the truth. It is this that has kept us going. It is the thing that has been missing, all these years.
“We did not believe that his murder was simply the work of gunmen who killed him.
“We had no confidence that police investigations would ever bring those truly responsible to justice.
“We were not satisfied with private, limited reviews from which we were excluded.
“We could not and did not accept the assurances of previous British governments that they were anxious to set the record straight, because they were never prepared to do so in public.”
She added: “Most of all, I believe this inquiry can be a watershed moment in the difficult subject of legacy in this part of our island.
“If a public inquiry in to the murder of Pat Finucane can finally publicly examine all of the collusion that plagued our society for so many years, then there is hope that the real process of healing can begin.
“The murder of Pat Finucane is the last remaining Weston Park case. It is high time it was properly investigated, publicly examined, and finally resolved.”
Response
Mrs Finucane’s son John, who witnessed his father’s murder, is also a solicitor and the Sinn Féin MP for Belfast North.
Party leader Mary Lou McDonald this afternoon welcomed the announcement of an inquiry.
“For 35 years, Mrs Geraldine Finucane and her family have led a dignified and determined campaign for truth and justice, seeking a public inquiry into Pat’s murder, efforts Sinn Féin have strongly supported throughout this time,” she said.
She added: “An Independent, statutory public inquiry is the only way to achieve the whole truth behind the murder of Pat Finucane.”
However, while condemning Mr Finucane’s murder, DUP leader Gavin Robinson criticised today’s announcement, saying it was evidence of a hierarchy of victims.
“In 2004, a man was convicted and sentenced for his role in the murder and more than £20m has been spent on investigations into this one murder,” he said.
“The Secretary of State needs to understand that there are more than 1,000 other families in the United Kingdom who have not had a fraction of the resource poured into the murder of their loved one.
“Indeed, the Finucane family were offered a Public Inquiry, but they rejected that offer as they disagreed with the 2005 Public Inquiries Act.
“We stand for truth and justice for every victim in the Troubles. Today’s announcement perpetuates a hierarchy and sends the message that this murder was more deserving of investigation than others.”