Ahern 'frustrated' with British over Finucane case

More questions for the British government and its agencies about their activities during the dark days. The murder, in 1989, of Belfast solicitor, Pat Finucane, was debated in the Dáil yesterday. Today’s Irish Times carries a report from Mark Hennessy in which Ahern talks of his frustration that the British have not been quicker to co-operate with him on this matter. Ahern says: “I believe a file exists on the Finucane murder.”

Ahern raised the demand that a public inquiry be held into Finucane’s murder with British prime minister, Gordon Brown, two weeks ago and will meet with former Canadian judge, Peter Cory, who recommended that inquiry. Ahern’s comments on the British approach to this case are unusually blunt: “As of now, I do not get any sense from the British authorities that they are willing to meet the Finucane family’s needs.”

And: “Most of the departmental records, as we know them, and other records have been given. What have not been, and are unlikely to be, given are the files – if any – in the possession of MI5 and MI6, which have a strange system to say the least.

“I have dealt with many ministers and secretaries of state regarding how that system operates but I came across a number of Chinese walls. I do not believe we will obtain a great deal from these sources.”