Republican News · Thursday 31 January 2002

Dáil urged to widen terms of reference of Morris Tribunal

The Sinn Féin spokesperson for Justice and Equality has called on the Dáil to support the McBrearty family's demand for the widening of the terms of reference of the Morris Tribunal in the interests of establishing the "full facts of the case".

He made his call after the McBreartys on Tuesday refused to participate in the tribunal's proceedings until its terms of reference are widened and the family's legal represenation is paid for. Frank McBrearty Sr later said that he would be prepared to go to jail for not cooperating with the tribunal and would go on hungerstrike in that eventuality. "The people who passed the terms of reference are the people we want investigated. We're getting no justice here," he said.

"The call by the McBreartys for the Dáil to widen the terms of reference of the Morris Tribunal is a perfectly reasonable one and must be supported by all members of the Oireachtas," said Ó Snodaigh in the Dáil on Wednesday. "It is crucial the full facts of this case are established.

"For that to happen all of those individuals, organisations and state bodies who have even had the most fleeting of connections to the case must be called to give an account of their knowledge of the issues involved.

"After years of protesting their innocence and of fighting what was a unbearable campaign of intimidation and vilification by members of An Garda Síochána, the McBrearty family have a right to expect that they will be afforded the opportunity to completely vindicate their name. They also have a right to find out why Garda and State authorities compounded the McBreartys' situation by failing to act when very serious and damning accusations of Garda corruption and intimidation were being made.

"The Garda Commissioner, the Attorney General, the DPP and the Minister and former Minister for Justice as well as the Donegal State Solicitor all have intimate knowledge of this affair. Their presence as witnesses at the Tribunal is crucial if we are to get anywhere near the truth of what is undoubtedly one of the most scandalous episode in the history of the Gardaí.

"The terms of reference must also allow for the McBreartys to be provided with the costs of their legal representation."

Ó Snodaigh also called for the terms of reference to be extended to cover the killing by loyalists of Donegal Sinn Féin Councillor Eddie Fullerton at his home in 1991.