The Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman is to investigate the 1991 murder of Sinn Féin councillor Eddie Fullerton, it emerged yesterday. Senior investigators from the office of ombudsman Nuala O'Loan have already interviewed the victim's family, who met Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Dublin yesterday.
Mr Fullerton was shot dead in front of his wife at his Buncrana, Co Donegal, home in an attack blamed on the UDA.
The family yesterday raised fresh demands for a public inquiry at a long-awaited hour-long meeting with Mr Ahern at Government Buildings.
Mr Fullerton's daughter Amanda said: "The Police Ombudsman's office has sanctioned an inquiry into RUC/PSNI activities across the Border and investigators interviewed us about daddy's case in Dublin yesterday."
The Fullerton family gave Mr Ahern a summary of their campaign to date and asked him to ensure that the State and gardaí co-operated with the police ombudsman's inquiries.
Chief Supt Noel White was appointed in 2004 by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to re-examine evidence in the case.
He met the Fullerton family in August and later submitted an initial report to them on his findings.
"The response was totally unsatisfactory and raised more questions than answers," Ms Fullerton said.
Mr Ahern told the Fullertons that Chief Supt White was continuing his work on the issue.
Ms Fullerton met Mr Ahern with her mother, Diana; sisters Anita and Marina and brothers Eddie and Johnny. They handed over a dossier on their key concerns to Mr Ahern after the meeting.
Mr Ahern's decision to meet the Fullertons comes after intensive campaigning by the family and Sinn Féin for an independent public inquiry into alleged collusion between loyalists and British security forces on the 1991 murder.
Mr Fullerton served 12 years as a Sinn Féin councillor on Donegal County Council and Buncrana Urban Town Council. His son Albert had spearheaded a 15-year family campaign for justice until his death in a road accident last March.
The issue was also raised by Sinn Féin at the multi-party talks at St Andrews in Scotland last month.