Finucane family denied judicial review of Prime Minister's refusal of independent public inquiry into assassination

A BELFAST HIGH COURT JUDGE has denied the family of assassinated solicitor Pat Finucane leave to challenge British Prime Minister David Cameron over his refusal to hold an inquiry into the 1989 killing by a UDA death squad widely suspected of operating in collusion with British Military Intelligence and the security services.

Speaking after the judgement was handed down in Belfast on Friday, Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan said the judgement was “an attempt to continue the cover-up of the state’s central role in the actions of unionist death squads”.

He called on the British Government to “face up to its responsibilities and implement the Weston Park Agreement in full and hold the full, independent inquiry into the killing that was agreed in 2001”.

Pat Sheehan added:

“The British Government is clearly afraid that an inquiry into the role of British intelligence services in the murder of Pat Finucane will reach to the highest levels of Downing Street, where Margaret Thatcher oversaw a state policy of collusion.”

Rather than hold the independent inquiry into the solicitor's killing, David Cameron instructed senior QC Desmond de Silva to carry out a “review of the papers”.

Although de Silva found evidence of collusion, he maintained that “no over-arching conspiracy” existed.

The Finucane family rejected the senior law officer's report and sought, through a judicial review, to force Cameron to establish an inquiry into the shooting.

Despite rejecting the Finucane family's challenge, Justice Stephens criticised the ongoing investigation into the killing.

He said the British Government had not fully met its obligations to conduct a prompt investigation of new evidence uncovered by the de Silva report more than two years ago and invited lawyers from both sides back to court next week to discuss the matter.