Frustration at delays to inquiry over Pat Finucane murder
The widow of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has criticised the British government for delaying the start of a public inquiry it announced in 2024.
The 39-year-old lawyer was shot 14 times by loyalist paramilitaries in front of his three children and his wife Geraldine, who was also injured in the attack, in their home in north Belfast on 12 February 1989.
It was one of the most controversial killings of the Troubles, with allegations of collusion between the killers and security forces.
In September 2024, following decades of campaigning by his family, the British government announced that an independent inquiry into the murder would be established.
At the time Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn said it was a "plain fact" that a UK government commitment made more than 20 years ago to hold an inquiry into the murder "remains unfulfilled".
The announcement was welcomed by then president Michael D Higgins and the Government.
A chairperson was appointed to lead the inquiry last June, but the terms of reference have not yet been set, and there is no indication about when it will actually begin.
The family of Pat Finucane arrive at Erskine House in Belfast to meet Hilary Benn in 2024
In a statement to mark the 37th anniversary of the murder, Mr Finucane's wife Geraldine said there was "growing frustration at the continuing delay in allowing the long-promised public inquiry to begin its work".
"Until the Terms of Reference are set, the inquiry is not fully constituted and cannot begin its work fully or properly," the statement adds.
"This delay is preventing progress and engagement in a case where delay has already caused profound harm over almost four decades.
"We want to be clear: our family wants this inquiry to commence. We want to engage with it and work constructively with it. On this anniversary, we are simply asking that the Terms of Reference be published so that this long-overdue inquiry can finally begin."
Several previous examinations of the case found there had been collusion, and the solicitor's family campaigned for a public inquiry to establish the extent of security force involvement.
The Northern Ireland Office has said it is working to enable the inquiry to begin its work as soon as possible.
"The murder of Patrick Finucane was a barbarous crime and, given the exceptional circumstances of this case, a public inquiry is being established to provide answers long sought by his family," an NIO spokesperson said in a statement.
"The Government is working expeditiously to finalise the Terms of Reference with the independent inquiry Chair so the inquiry is able to begin its work without undue delay."
