Northern Ireland Conservatives’ chairman, Irwin Armstrong, has welcomed David Cameron’s commitment to publish a full and independent review of evidence relating to the murder of Pat Finucane by the respected QC, Desmond de Silva, calling it a “crystal clear indication of this government’s dedication to truth recovery in Northern Ireland”. He also noted that it reaffirms a commitment from the Conservative party at the last election that there would be no more expensive, open-ended inquiries.
“The Prime Minister has made an exceptional commitment, the details of which the Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, set out in a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon. This terrible murder has already been subject to an independent investigation conducted by Lord Stevens and Judge Peter Cory later confirmed allegations of collusion. Mr Finucane’s murderer, Ken Barrett, was arrested and charged back in 2004.”
“Substantial efforts have been made to uncover the truth and provide justice for the Finucane family. Many victims of the Troubles – the families of those killed at Enniskillen, Claudy and Kings Mills among them – have not seen nearly so much progress in the investigations into the murders of their loved ones”.
“David Cameron and Owen Paterson have gone to extraordinary lengths, admitting that collusion took place and making sincere apologies on the behalf of the government. This review represents another serious attempt to bring the truth into the open.”
“It’s disappointing that the Finucane family has reacted negatively to the government’s plans. It should be noted that previous attempts to launch a full public inquiry did not meet their approval either. Victims have a right to pursue truth and justice, but we can’t have yet another costly, open-ended inquiry, especially when Lord Stevens has already completed so much of the groundwork, and neither should there be a ‘hierarchy of inquiries’ which sees a few high profile incidents consuming the lion’s share of time and resources. ”
“Sir Desmond De Silva has extensive powers to make his review full and thorough. His track record is exceptional and he deserves much of the credit for bringing the former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, to justice for war crimes in Sierra Leone. I’m confident that he will make the truth around Pat Finucane’s murder a matter of record, once and for all. That is the purpose of this review and that is what this government is determined to achieve”.