Law Society attempts to block Finucane report
by Dan O'Neill
Leading officers of the Law Society in the Six Counties are trying to
stop their own Human Rights Committee considering a report into the
role of British intelligence in the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat
Finucane ten years ago.
The society's stance was revealed in the high court in Belfast on
Tuesday when Barra McGrory who is chairperson of the Human Rights
Committee applied for leave to apply for a judicial review of the
Society's decision.
The report , `Deadly Intelligence - State involvement in Loyalist
murders in Northern Ireland' drawn up by the British Irish Rights
Watch, produces fresh evidence of prior British military intelligence
knowledge of Mr Finucane's murder.
McGrory forwarded a copy of the report to John Baille, chief
executive of the Law Society and asked him to include it for
consideration at a meeting of the Human Rights Committee due to take
place on Tuesday, 9 March.
However on March 3 Bailie informed McGrory that it had been decided
by himself, Law Society president, Catherine Nixon and junior vice-
president, John Meehan, not to refer the report to the committee.
McGrory's affidavit stated that if the officers attempt to control
the Human Rights Committee was not resisted, ``the council will
potentially be deprived of the detailed consideration of the document
by those experienced members of the committee who are not members of
the Law Society Council.''
The Law Society here, so far, has failed to support the call by the
Law Society for England and Wales for an inquiry due to pressure from
unionist solicitors. The solicitors body in England and Wales put
it's name to a petition signed by over a thousand international
lawyers which was published in Dublin, Belfast and London last month.
In sharp contrast the Bar Council, which represents the north's
barristers, did support the demands for a fresh investigation into
the murder.
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