Stevens investigation rejected
BY LAURA FRIEL
The Stevens' investigation into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat
Finucane was set up ``to prevent a full public judicial inquiry'', says
Martin Finucane. The family were responding to renewed calls by
British police chief John Stevens for relatives of the dead man to
assist the investigation. ``A criminal investigation is not a public
process,'' says Martin. ``Its sole function is to secure criminal
convictions not to find the truth. It is our opinion that the Steven's
investigation is no substitute for a full public international
judicial inquiry.''
A report, now in its final stages, is to be presented by the family to
both the London and Dublin governments detailing the reasons behind
the family's refusal to support the current investigation. This will
be the second report to be presented to the two governments. The
initial report was compiled by the human rights watchdog, British
Irish Rights Watch. ``The report will affirm our reasons for not
supporting the investigation,'' says Martin, ``which we have
consistently stated is not the most appropriate nor effective means of
establishing the truth.'' Martin pointed out that in the past, on a
number of occasions, the Finucane family have been told by both Tony
Blair and John Stevens that the murder had been ``thoroughly
investigated''.
Pat Finucane was murdered after masked gunmen burst into his North
Belfast home in February 1989. In 1990, John Stevens, then Deputy
Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire, was called upon to investigate
allegations of Crown force collusion in a number of loyalist killings
including Pat Finucane. Stevens returned for a second time after the
role of British military intelligence was exposed during the trial of
their agent Brian Nelson. Earlier this year, after refuting a claim by
RUC Chief Ronnie Flanagan that the Finucane murder had already been
investigated by Stevens, the British policeman was called upon to
investigate the killing. The decision came despite calls for an
international independent public inquiry.
During the last seven months of the Stevens investigation, one
loyalist has been charged with the Finucane murder and several others
arrested for other loyalist attacks, William Stobie, a self confessed
UDA quartermaster, has admitted that he supplied Pat Finucane's
killers with their weapons. Stobie's claim that he was working as an
informer for RUC Special Branch at the time was confirmed during a
bail hearing. Despite the murder charge, Stobie was released on bail.
Meanwhile, John Stevens has claimed that the current investigation
will continue for at least another six months. Stevens is due to take
up a post as London's Metropolitan Police Commissioner in February. He
will be replaced in the day to day running of the Finucane
investigation by Hugh Orde, a deputy assistant commissioner with the
Met, but retain overall responsibility.
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