BRIAN NELSON, the former British soldier recently freed from prison, is facing a compensation claim from the widow of the murdered Belfast solicitor, Pat Finucane.
A writ issued by Mrs Geraldine Finucane claims that Nelson was involved in the murder of her husband at their home in Belfast in 1989.
Mrs Finucane is claiming damages in the High Court in Belfast against Nelson and the British Ministry of Defence.
Mrs Finucane's writ alleges that the shooting of her husband was at the instigation or connivance of Nelson and other British army agents. It also alleges that the MoD and Nelson were negligent in the "gathering, recording and keeping safe" of material concerning Mr Finucane.
Mr Eamann McMenamin, a solicitor in the murder victim's former practice, said that the MoD had served a defence denying the claim, but Nelson had made no response.
Nelson, a former Black Watch soldier, became a spy in 1987 after leaving the army. He infiltrated the UDA and passed on information about terrorist plans. At his trial in 1992 Lord Justice Kelly said that he had chosen to "cross the wrong side of the line on five occasions and involved himself with murder gangs".
Nelson admitted conspiring to murder five Catholics and was jailed for 10 years. He was also given concurrent sentences for possessing and collecting information and having a submachine gun.
While on remand in Crumlin Road prison he was kept in an isolation unit for his own safety and shortly after being sentenced he was secretly moved to a prison in England which was not named.