Public inquiry ordered into collusion-linked murder of solicitor Pat Finucane

David Young (PA)

The Government has ordered a public inquiry into the collusion-linked loyalist paramilitary murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989.

Mr Finucane, 39, was shot dead at his family home in north Belfast in February 1989 by the Ulster Defence Association in an attack found by a series of probes to have involved collusion with the state.

His widow Geraldine and the couple’s three children have been campaigning for decades for a public inquiry to establish the extent of security force involvement.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn made the announcement to the House of Commons.

The minister said it is a “plain fact” that a UK government commitment made more than 20 years ago to hold an inquiry into Mr Finucane’s murder “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 said.

Mr Finucane’s son John, a Sinn Fein MP for North Belfast, welcomed the announcement.

“Today is for my father, Pat Finucane,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“The announcement that there will now be a public inquiry into his murder is very much welcomed by our family.

“Led by my mother Geraldine, we have campaigned for decades to uncover the truth behind my father’s murder. I want to thank every person who has supported our campaign throughout those years. Today belongs to us all.

“After 35 years of cover-ups, it is now time for truth.”

In 2019, the Supreme Court said all previous examinations of the death had not been compliant with human rights standards.

The court acknowledged Mrs Finucane had been given an “unequivocal undertaking” by the government following the 2001 Weston Park Agreement that there would be a public inquiry into the murder.

However, the Supreme Court judges found that the government had been justified in later deciding against holding one.

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

The following year, the government pushed back a decision on a public inquiry, insisting outstanding issues concerning the original police investigation needed to be first examined by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

In the years since, Mrs Finucane has pursued further legal proceedings challenging the ongoing delays on a decision.

During the summer, the Court of Appeal in Belfast gave the Government a September deadline to confirm what form of human rights-compliant investigation it intends to undertake into the murder.

Mr Benn met members of the Finucane family in Belfast on Tuesday evening ahead of his announcement on Wednesday.

The Secretary of State said he had considered the “likely costs and impact on the public finances”.

“It is the Government’s expectation that the inquiry will – while doing everything that is required to discharge the state’s human rights obligations – avoid unnecessary costs given all the previous reviews and investigations, and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain,” he said.

Mr Benn said he also considered referring the case to a new mechanism established to examine Troubles killing in Northern Ireland – the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.

“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 said.

“Many of us in this House remember the savage brutality of the Troubles – a truly terrible time in our history – and we must never forget that most of the deaths and injuries were the responsibility of paramilitaries, including the Ulster Defence Association, the Provisional IRA, and others, and we should also always pay tribute to the work during that time of the Armed Forces, the police and the security services, the vast majority of whom served with distinction and honour, and so many of whom sacrificed their lives in protecting others.

“It is very hard for any of us to understand fully the trauma of those who lost loved ones – sons and daughters, spouses and partners, fathers and mothers – and what they have been through, and there is of course nothing that any of us can do to bring them back or to erase the deep pain that was caused.

“But what we can do is to seek transparency to help provide answers to families, and to work together for a better future for Northern Ireland which has made so much progress since these terrible events. I hope that this inquiry will, finally, provide the information that the Finucane family has sought for so long.”

Mr Benn said the Government would seek to appoint an inquiry chair and establish its terms of reference “as soon as possible”.