PM rejects Finucane inquiry calls

Pat Finucane's widow Geraldine arrives with her daughter Katherine to read the review of the report into the murder of the Belfast solicitor
14 December 2012

The Prime Minister has refused to launch a public inquiry into the loyalist murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane after shocking levels of state involvement were outlined in a Government review.

David Cameron told the Commons that the collusion detailed was totally unacceptable and reiterated his previous apology to Mr Finucane's family, but insisted an inquiry would not shed any more light on the scandal.

The 500-page review of the case by QC Sir Desmond de Silva heavily criticised the actions of a number of State employees, who he said "furthered and facilitated" the shooting of the 38-year-old father-of-three by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in 1989.

The collusion outlined by Sir Desmond included spreading malicious propaganda that Mr Finucane was sympathetic to the IRA; one or possibly more police officers proposing him as a target to loyalists; and the mishandling of State agents inside the UDA who were involved in the murder.

But Sir Desmond found no evidence of an over-arching conspiracy by the authorities to target Mr Finucane.

Announcing the findings of the report at Westminster, Mr Cameron said: "Collusion should never, ever happen. So on behalf of the Government - and the whole country - let me say once again to the Finucane family, I am deeply sorry."

But the murdered solicitor's family have branded the review a sham and again repeated their demand for an independent public inquiry.

Mr Finucane was gunned down in front of his wife Geraldine and their three children inside their north Belfast home in February 1989.

His widow said the Government-commissioned review was a "sham, whitewash and confidence trick".

Mrs Finucane accused it of suppressing the truth and attempting to throw all blame on dead individuals and disbanded organisations while exonerating ministers, serving officers and existing security agencies.

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