The widow of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has criticised the British government for delaying the start of a public inquiry it announced in 2024.
Geraldine Finucane, who was injured in the attack, said she is suspicious about the reasons for the delay and concerned that the inquiry may not go far enough.
The 39-year-old lawyer was shot 14 times by loyalist paramilitaries in front of his three children and his wife in their home in north Belfast on 12 February 1989.
It was one of the most controversial killings of the Troubles, with allegations of collusion between the killers and security forces.
In Sepetmber 2024, following decades of campaigning by his family, the British government announced that an independent inquiry into the murder would be established.
At the time Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn said it was a "plain fact" that a British government commitment made more than 20 years ago to hold an inquiry into the murder "remains unfulfilled".
The announcement was welcomed by then-president Michael D Higgins and the Irish Government.
A chairperson was appointed to lead the inquiry last June, but the terms of reference have not yet been set and there is no indication about when it will actually begin.
In a statement to mark the 37th anniversary of the murder, Mr Finucane's wife Geraldine said there was "growing frustration at the continuing delay in allowing the long-promised public inquiry to begin its work."
Speaking to RTE News, Geraldine Finucane said she had been very optimistic when the decsion to establish an inquiry was announced.
"Hilary Benn seemed very genuine. He had a desire to get this done thoroughly, efficiently and as soon as possible," she said.
"The optimism hasn't lasted, because we're now 17 months further down the line, and the terms of reference have not been finalised.
"I'm very suspicious as to why there is delay, because in the past, delay has been our enemy. "
The Northern Ireland Office has said it is working to enable the inquiry to begin its work as soon as possible.
"The murder of Patrick Finucane was a barbarous crime and, given the exceptional circumstances of this case, a public inquiry is being established to provide answers long sought by his family," an NIO spokesperson said in a statement.
"The Government is working expeditiously to finalise the Terms of Reference with the independent inquiry chair so the inquiry is able to begin its work without undue delay."
But Geraldine Finucane said her family is concerned that about the length of time it is taking to agree those terms.
"My worry is that the terms of reference will be so narrow that the inquiry will not be able to fulfill what we hope it will cover," she said.
"The chairman, whom I have met, has said that he can only operate within the scope of the terms of reference.
"So if the terms are very narrow there may be a possibility that he cannot explore all the avenues that he would want to and which are necessary, and these are perhaps the crux of the whole matter."
Several previous examinations of the case found there had been collusion and the solicitor's family campaigned for for a public inquiry to establish the extent of security force involvement.
Sinn Féin South Belfast MLA Deirdre Hargey said the delay was "inexcusable".
"The British government continues to drag its heels on truth and justice for his family," she said.
"This approach by the British government is a textbook example of how it treats families waiting for justice with contempt - stalling, delaying and acting in bad faith.
"I am calling on the British government to allow the inquiry to finally progress and to work positively with the Finucane family as they continue their search for answers about Pat Finucane's collusive murder."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
