Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy deliberately misled Parliament when delaying a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, Belfast High Court heard today.
The accusation was made by Mr Seamus Treacy QC, representing the Finucane family, during a judicial review aimed at forcing the British government to proceed with an independent probe.
The government has given the go-ahead for three public inquiries into the murders of Lurgan solicitor Rosemary Nelson, LVF leader Billy Wright and Portadown Catholic Robert Hamill following the publication of reports by retired Canadian Judge Peter Cory into alleged security force collusion.
Mr Murphy told the House of Commons in London on the day the reports were published that he was delaying the inquiry into the Finucane case because of the impending trial of a man charged with his murder.
He also said that as a result of the ongoing investigation into the murder, there was a possibility that further prosecutions could follow and the inquiry could not go ahead until criminal proceedings were completed.
Ken Barrett is to be tried in September with the murder of the solicitor in February 1989 and other charges including membership of the Ulster Defence Association.
Mr Treacy told the court that in a letter to Mr Finucane's widow Geraldine on
April 1st, Mr Murphy said he was acting on the advice of the Attorney General. But Mr Treacy said this conflicted with information given to the Finucane
family by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens and his team who are
investigating the circumstances of Mr Finucane's death.
According to Mr Treacy, Sir John had told Mrs Finucane that the advice they had
received from the Attorney General was that Barrett's trial was the only
obstacle to a public inquiry. "As far as the Stevens' team were concerned they were quite confident that as far as there was any impediment it was only the Barrett case."
The judicial review was adjourned until April 28th.
PA