‘There is no public investigation of Finucane at this time’

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The UK government has decided not to conduct a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane.

British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis, speaking at Westminster, said he had told the family of the decision not to conduct an investigation at this time.

The British Supreme Court, in February 2019, ruled that the UK had not carried out an “effective investigation” into the Belfast lawyer’s death at the hands of loyal paramilitaries.

It is up to the state to decide what action to take after this ruling, Lewis said. The British government had decided not to opt for a public inquiry.

Finucane, a 39-year-old lawyer who represented Republican and loyalist paramilitaries during the riots, was shot dead at his family home in North Belfast in February 1989 by the Ulster Defense Association in an attack involving collusion with the state. .

His widow Geraldine and their three children have been campaigning for decades for a public inquiry to establish the extent of security forces involvement.

PSNI Police Chief Simon Byrne said in a statement that the legal duty to investigate deaths during the riots remains with the Northern Ireland Police Service.

Describing the murder of Mr. Finucane as a “truly horrendous crime”, he said that “our opinion is that there are currently no new lines of investigation. We must now decide if it deserves a more in-depth review given all the previous investigations into this case. “. .

“Once we have determined that, we will inform the Finucane family. If we determine that a review should be conducted, then we will have to decide if we are in the best position to conduct that review.”

Police Chief Byrne added: “As it stands, it is unlikely that we will have a perception of independence in this case, given the accepted position of State involvement in this matter. Therefore, it is highly likely that any review must be done independently. “

Earlier today, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said an investigation into the 1989 assassination would represent a “major step forward” in trying to address the pain of the past in Northern Ireland.

He told BBC Radio Ulster that there was unanimity among parties in the Irish government that the case would be in “many ways an indication of whether the British government is fully committed to truth and reconciliation in the context of the legacy of the past.”

Mr. Coveney said: “If we are going to move forward together on this island – both governments, all political parties and indeed, most importantly, the victims and their families – then we need to see the full commitment of both governments to establish the truth. .

“I think the Pat Finucane case today is an opportunity to tell communities that the legacy process is about establishing the whole truth, even if it involves a dark and difficult period in history that needs to be exposed.”

Sinn Féin warned that the lack of order in a public investigation into the murder will have profound implications for confidence in the rule of law.

Speaking before Britain announced its decision, Sinn Féin Vice President and Stormont Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill said it was a “day of reckoning” for the Finucane family.

She said: “The British government’s delay and denial approach has literally run out of way.”

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Read more:
Four NI parties seek public inquiry into Pat Finucane murder
UK Labor Party calls for public inquiry into murder of Pat Finucane

Last year, Britain’s Supreme Court said that all previous death examinations had failed to meet human rights standards.

The court recognized that the UK government had given Ms Finucane an “unequivocal commitment” following the 2001 Weston Park agreement that a public inquiry into the murder would take place.

However, the Supreme Court justices concluded that the UK government had been justified in later deciding not to carry out one.

The court said it was up to the UK government to decide what form of investigation was now required, if feasible.

In the midst of a government delay in responding to the ruling, Ms. Finucane initiated a new judicial review process against the state.

Last month, lawyers for the UK’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, gave a judge at the Belfast High Court an undertaking that the decision would be announced on Monday 30 November.

Prior to that conversation, Ms. O’Neill said: “It is a matter of great public interest that there is full and maximum disclosure on the questions of who ordered the murder, who knew what and when.

“Those involved must be held accountable. So far there has been virtually impunity for British state agencies and the actors involved in the assassination.

“Any attempt by the British government to ignore family, political and general public demands for a public inquiry will have profound and fundamental implications for confidence in the rule of law, the administration of justice and the broader approach to legacy.

“The time has come for the British government and British Secretary of State Brandon Lewis to finally listen to the Finucane family and call for a public inquiry as a matter of public concern. There can be no further delay.”

Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron decided not to conduct a public inquiry into the murder, but instead ordered a review of all files related to the case by former UN war crimes prosecutor Desmond. de Silva.

Mr. de Silva Desmond found significant levels of state collusion involving the military, police and MI5, but said there was no evidence of a “widespread state conspiracy.”

His findings led Cameron to apologize to the Finucane family for “shocking levels of collusion.”
However, Ms. Finucane called Silva’s report a “cover up.”

Last week, three other Stormont parties, the SDLP, Alliance and Greens, joined Sinn Féin in writing to Mr. Lewis to demand a public inquiry.

The government also asked its UK counterparts to order an investigation, as did 24 members of the US Congress.

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis is due to announce whether an investigation will take place this afternoon.

He was scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with Mr. Finucane’s family around noon to give them details of his decision, but that meeting was postponed.

In a tweet, Finucane’s son John, a lawyer and Sinn Féin MP for North Belfast, said the family had gathered for the meeting, but was told the British government had postponed it until 4: 00 pm



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