Three senior officials of the Law Society of Northern Ireland were rebuked yesterday by some of its members for stifling discussion of a report into the alleged role of British intelligence in the murder of the Belfast solicitor Mr Pat Finucane. The Solicitors' Criminal Bar Association said in a statement: "We wish to express our disillusionment and lack of confidence in the officials involved in taking this decision."
The statement followed the disclosure in the High Court this week that the society's human rights committee had been prevented from considering the report, entitled "Deadly Intelligence - State involvement in loyalist murders in Northern Ireland". The court was told the decision was taken by the society's chief executive, Mr John Bailie, in association with its president, Ms Catherine Dixon, and junior vice-president, Mr John Meehan.
The association said it wished to confirm its support for judicial review proceedings, taken by Mr Barra McGrory, seeking to reverse the Law Society decision.