Up to 20 former and serving members of the British army, RUC and PSNI, including an army brigadier, could face charges arising from Sir John Stevens's inquiry into allegations of security force collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.
Sir John, who is investigating the alleged collusion and the 1989 murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, said in Belfast yesterday he would leave "no stone unturned" in his inquiry.
Sir John revealed that his team interviewed Brig Gordon Kerr, the current British military attaché in Beijing and the former head of the British army's secret Force Research Unit (FRU), which infiltrated agents into loyalist and republican paramilitary organisations.
The prosecution papers were being prepared in relation to Brig Kerr and up to 20 other former and serving security force members, which would be presented to the Northern Ireland DPP in the weeks ahead. These prosecution papers primarily related to the collusion allegations. Sir John said it was a matter for the DPP to decide whether the police and army officers should be charged.
Sir John said important new documents that could push forward his inquiries were recently secured from the British army. He implicitly suggested that the army had attempted to conceal this information, some of which went back to 1989, the year of Mr Finucane's murder.
Sir John, head of the London Metropolitan Police, said his interim report into the Finucane killing and collusion allegation would be presented in April to the Policing Board, and the PSNI chief constable, Mr Hugh Orde, who formerly had operational responsibility for the Stevens inquiry.
He added, however, that he was not in a position to say when his inquiry, which has cost millions of pounds and was the biggest ever such police investigation undertaken, would be completed. "It will and must take as long as it takes," he said.
Sir John rebutted loyalist and some security claims that Mr Finucane had connections with the IRA. "I am making it quite clear that I have found absolutely no evidence linking Mr Finucane with any terrorist organisation and I completely rebut these assertions made by the people behind his murder," he said. He appealed to UDA members to come forward and assist police in convicting those responsible for Mr Finucane's murder.
He defended his investigation against criticism. He said that since he first began his investigation of the collusion claims 14 years ago, some 50 people had been sentenced to a total of 800 years' imprisonment.
The solicitor's widow, Geraldine, and son Michael, who both witnessed the murder 14 years ago, said they had no faith in the Stevens inquiry and called for an independent judicial probe of Mr Finucane's murder. "The inquiry is a waste of time and money, it has been since its conception and continues to be so," said Mr Michael Finucane.
The SDLP policing spokesman, Mr Alex Attwood, said Sir John's comments confirmed why there must be an independent inquiry into the Finucane murder and the activities of the intelligence groups.
Sinn Féin MLA Mr Gerry Kelly also called for an independent inquiry. "It is widely acknowledged that British military intelligence and Special Branch played a major role in the murder," he said. "The cover-up of British military involvement in this killing has now been going on for 10 years. The magnitude and implications of this case demand full and independent investigation," he added.
The Relatives for Justice group also called for an independent inquiry.
