A second ex-senior police officer in Northern Ireland has demanded SDLP leader Mark Durkan publicly clears his name over any allegations of collusion with loyalist terrorists.
Chris Albiston, a former assistant chief constable and head of Special Branch, has written to Mr Durkan seeking a declaration that will protect his reputation.
The SDLP leader is already being sued by Alan McQuillan, the head of the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) in Belfast, over a newspaper advertisement that provoked a police appointment row.
Mr McQuillan, also an Assistant Chief Constable before quitting the force, took legal action after the nationalist party claimed it ensured no one with a Royal Ulster Constabulary background was chosen as chief constable from a shortlist nearly five years ago.
Both Mr Albiston and Mr McQuillan served in the RUC but were beaten to the top post in May 2002 by Sir Hugh Orde, then a Scotland Yard deputy assistant commissioner.
With the force's reputation seriously damaged by Police Ombudsman revelations that some Special Branch officers shielded agents in an Ulster Volunteer Force unit responsible for up to 16 murders, the SDLP advert took credit for putting an outsider in charge of policing.
The claim infuriated Sir Hugh and prompted Mr McQuillan to consult his lawyers.
Mr Durkan later assured the ARA chief he was not linked to collusion in any way, but he is now being urged to offer further clarification.
In his letter to the SDLP leader Mr Albiston says the advert could be interpreted as inferring a connection between collusion and the SDLP's actions at the time of the new chief constable's appointment.
"You did not refer to me in your public statement disassociating Mr McQuillan from allegations of collusion," he added. "I am not aware of any public statement made by you in the intervening four weeks which could be construed as disassociating me from allegations of collusion.
"I now call upon you to make a public statement unequivocally disassociating me from any allegations of collusion."
Mr Albiston's demand comes after the SDLP leader used parliamentary privilege to name him and two other former heads of Special Branch who he alleged failed to co-operate with the Ombudsman's report.
No immediate comment was available from the SDLP.