Dublin 'disappointed' at Finucane inquiry delay

The Government has expressed its disappointment at the delay by the British government in establishing a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor, Pat Finucane.

Following the publication of four reports by retired Canadian judge Mr Peter Cory, the British government said it would move to immediately establish inquiries into three controversial cases involving alleged collusion.

The cases of loyalist paramilitary boss Billy Wright, Catholic father of two Robert Hamill and human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson will receive immediate attention but an inquiry into the fourth and most controversial case of all, the murder of Mr Finucane, will get only under way once criminal prosecutions finish later this year.

The family of Mr Finucane, who was gunned down in front of them by loyalists in 1989, said the British government was seeking to cover up the truth behind the killing. In his report, Judge Cory warned against delaying an inquiry and said it might be one of the "rare situations" where a public inquiry "will be of greater benefit to a community than prosecutions".

He said evidence he had considered from a mass of official documents "clearly indicate to me that there is strong evidence that collusive acts were committed by the army (Force Research Unit), the RUC Special Branch and the Security Service."

"Without proper scrutiny, doubts based solely on myth and suspicion will linger long, fester and spread their malignant infection throughout the Northern Ireland community."

In a statement this evening, the Taoiseach said it was "disappointing" that the British government was delaying in "responding to the recommendation by Judge Cory for a public inquiry".

"It conflicts with the views of Judge Cory that a public inquiry is more important in this case than prosecutions.

"I am deeply conscious of the impact that this postponement will have on Geraldine Finucane and her family who have been waiting for the truth since the murder of Pat Finucane in 1989.

"He was cynically gunned down for no other reason than representing his clients and advancing the cause of human rights through the courts.

"We need to ensure that the delay in establishing a public inquiry in the Finucane case is not prolonged and that such an inquiry...is established as quickly as possible," Mr Ahern added.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs echoed the Taoiseach's sentiments saying he was "very disappointed".

Both Mr Ahern and Mr Cowen welcomed the establishment of the other three inquiries.