Statements from the North’s Police Ombudsman and the PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne appear to challenge the British government’s explanation for why it has not ordered a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane. On Monday the Northern Secretary Brandon Lewis said he had decided “not to establish a public inquiry at this time” but that he was not “taking the possibility of a public inquiry off the table at this stage”. The ombudman, Ms Anderson, said her office had no current investigation taking place where the murder of Mr Finucane was the central issue. A senior source explained that while the ombudsman was investigating some police activity relevant to Mr Finucane, none of it was pertinent to his murder. Baroness O’Loan queried why Mr Lewis would cite the ombudsman and the PSNI as reasons for not calling an inquiry.

Source: The Irish Times December 01, 2020 20:47 UTC