Police in Northern Ireland have said they are working to ensure an inquiry into the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane can access sensitive files.
The prominent Belfast solicitor was killed in front of his wife and three children, aged eight, 12 and 17, in their home in the north of the city by loyalist paramilitary gunmen on February 12, 1989. His family have campaigned for decades for a public inquiry to investigate the extent of security forces involvement in his killing.
Inquiry hearings and concerns
The probe started public hearings recently with an opening statement. During a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board on Thursday, Sinn Féin member Deirdre Hargey raised a recent report that the inquiry is being prevented from accessing millions of intelligence documents.
The report earlier this week by The Detail said that was because Government funding for a secure computer system has yet to be agreed more than two years after the investigation was first announced.
ACC McNally's response
Responding to Ms Hargey, Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said he attended the inquiry last week to hear the “extensive” opening statement.
“You’ll see within that that the inquiry have actually outlined themselves that thus far they’ve only commented on material that’s within open source material, ie the De Silva report and so on,” he said.
“So, thus far, there has been no request from us in terms of providing any sensitive material. But when that request comes, we’ll absolutely provide that material.”
He added: “There has been some commentary in the media just around access to that. What we’re trying to do is accommodate the inquiry by offering them accommodation within our Seapark Estate, and the inquiry have been working on a business case to be able to fund that through the Northern Ireland Office. So that’s with them to progress.
“As soon as that business case is ready to go, our estate services have a plan in place to be able to provide that accommodation for them, which will in itself allow them access to that top secret sensitive material.
“We’re not restricting them from that. They can have that access as and when their funding and business cases is in place, so we’ll give them all the access they need directly to that via our systems and processes, but also indirectly in terms of providing that to them.
“I can give you that assurance that we’re working very closely with the inquiry, and it’s a really positive relationship thus far.”
