Questions mount as Donaldson inquest adjourned

The inquest into the death of murdered MI5 agent Denis Donaldson in Donegal almost four years ago was again adjourned in Letterkenny this week.

The former senior Sinn Fein member and one-time friend of Bobby Sands admitted that he had been a paid British informer for 20 years. He subsequently went into hiding in a cottage in Donegal but was shot dead in April 2006 in controversial circumstances.

A preliminary inquest was opened in November 2007. Gardai today requested an adjournment of nine months, but Coroner Dr Denis McAuley granted an adjournment of six months until 26 August.

Donaldson died after being hit by two shotgun blasts as he tried to flee from the early-morning attack.

In November 2007 a preliminary hearing into his death was adjourned after gardai told the coroner that they were considering criminal proceedings.

At that time lawyers for the Donaldsons said the family’s confidence in the Garda investigation had been “severely undermined” by the lack of progress in the case.

The family later lodged official complaints against gardai over concerns that Donaldson had not been properly warned that his life was under threat and over the murder investigation team’s refusal to state whether his cottage had been under electronic surveillance at the time of the shooting.

The inquest was postponed for a second time in May 2008.

It was adjourned for a third time in February 2009 after it was claimed that gardai were following a “new line of inquiry”.

It later emerged that a Letterkenny man, Liam McGinley, had been taken into protective custody in connection with the case.

WARRANT DELAY

The issuing of an international warrant to arrest Liam Adams has been hit with a further delay.

The brother of Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams is facing a series of long-standing abuse allegations made by his daughter.

Gerry Adams said he has given a statement to the PSNI in support of his niece.

While the official papers needed to detain Liam Adams in the 26 Counties have now been received by the Department of Justice, the authorities in Dublin have identified a number of “technicalities” in the documentation that need to be resolved before gardai police can enforce it.

While Liam Adams presented himself to Gardai police in County Sligo in December, they did not have the authority to detain him.

Urgent Appeal