The widow of murdered Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane has expressed frustration at the rate of progress towards a long-awaited public inquiry into his death.
Geraldine Finucane was speaking on the 37th anniversary of Mr Finucane’s murder by loyalist terrorists.
The 39-year-old was shot dead at his family home in north Belfast in 1989 by the Ulster Defence Association in an attack found by a series of probes to have involved collusion with the state.
His widow and the couple’s three children have been campaigning for decades for a public inquiry to establish the extent of security force involvement.
In 2024 Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn announced the UK Government would establish an independent inquiry into the circumstances of Mr Finucane’s death.
Last June the Government announced senior judge Sir Gary Hickinbottom as chairman of the inquiry.
Ms Finucane has questioned the “continuing delay”.
“As we mark the 37th anniversary of Pat Finucane’s murder, our family does so with growing frustration at the continuing delay in allowing the long-promised public inquiry to begin its work,” she said.
“The British Government announced the inquiry in September 2024 and appointed a chair in June 2025.
“In November, our family provided our observations on the draft terms of reference in good faith.
“Three months on, those terms of reference have still not been published.
“Until the terms of reference are set, the inquiry is not fully constituted and cannot begin its work fully or properly.
“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.”
She added: “On this anniversary, we are simply asking that the terms of reference be published so that this long-overdue inquiry can finally begin.”
A Northern Ireland Office spokesman said: “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.
“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.”
