Northern Ireland’s Secretary of State has pledged to take a decision on whether to order a public inquiry into the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane by the end of November, the North’s High Court heard on Monday.
The development came in a legal challenge by Mr Finucane’s widow to the British government’s delay in acting on a finding that his death has never been properly investigated.
Geraldine Finucane’s barrister described the ongoing hold-up as “shameful”.
Mr Finucane (39) was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in front of his wife and three children at their north Belfast home in February 1989.
His family have campaigned ever since for a public inquiry to establish the full scale of security force collusion in the assassination.
In February last year the Supreme Court held that previous probes into the murder did not meet human rights standards.
Mrs Finucane brought judicial review proceedings against the Secretary of State for failing to take a decision on the investigation required since that ruling.
As proceedings resumed on Monday, Paul McLaughlin QC, for Northern Secretary Brandon Lewis, said he was instructed to offer a commitment to reach a decision on or before November 30th in time for a meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in December.
Mr McLaughlin acknowledged some of the periods of time taken to reach a decision are not justifiable.
He added that the Northern Secretary wanted to indicate that he is sorry it has taken so long to reach a final decision in the case.
Fiona Doherty QC, representing Mrs Finucane, said: “It is shameful that, 30 years after Mr Finucane’s murder, it has taken 20 months or more for the Government to react to the Supreme Court’s decision.
“In our respectful submission an apology is the least that the Secretary of State owes Mrs Finucane.”
The judge agreed to adjourn the case, with a further review listed in December.