THE murder of a Belfast solicitor during the Troubles is set to be investigated by an independent public inquiry, the UK Government has announced.
Patrick Finucane was shot dead in his home by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in 1989 in an attack found by several probes to have involved collusion with the British state.
In a ministerial statement on Wednesday, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said: “This Government takes its human rights obligations and responsibilities to victims and survivors of the Troubles extremely seriously.
“The plain fact is that two decades on the commitment made by the Government – first in the agreement with the Irish government and then to this House – to establish an inquiry into the death of Finucane remains unfulfilled.
“It is for this exceptional reason that I have decided to establish an independent inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane under the 2005 Inquiries Act.”
Today is for my father, Pat Finucane. The announcement that there will now be a public inquiry into his murder is very much welcomed by our family. Led by my mother Geraldine, we have campaigned for decades to uncover the truth behind my father’s murder. I want to thank… pic.twitter.com/NWl3ikaSF6
— John Finucane MP (@johnfinucane) September 11, 2024
He also said he had met Finucane's widow Geraldine and their three children, who have all been campaigning for an inquiry for decades, on Tuesday evening.
Patrick's son John, a Sinn Fein MP for North Belfast, welcomed the announcement.
“Today is for my father, Pat Finucane,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
He continued: “The announcement that there will now be a public inquiry into his murder is very much welcomed by our family.
“After 35 years of cover-ups, it is now time for truth.”
In 2019, the Supreme Court said all previous examinations of the death had not been compliant with human rights standards.
The court acknowledged Geraldine had been given an “unequivocal undertaking” by the Blair government following the 2001 Weston Park agreement that there would be a public inquiry into the murder.
However, the Supreme Court judges found that the later decision to not hold an inquiry had been justified.
The court said it was up to the current government to decide what form of investigation was now required.
The following year, the Blair government pushed back a decision on a public inquiry, insisting outstanding issues concerning the original police investigation needed to be first examined by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
In the years since, Geraldine has pursued further legal proceedings challenging the ongoing delays on a decision.
During the summer, the Court of Appeal in Belfast gave Keir Starmer's government a September deadline to confirm what form of human rights-compliant investigation it intended to undertake into the murder.
