Irish and British governments agreed to investigate high profile cases, says Ahern
Pat Finucane
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said it was his understanding that both the Irish and British governments had agreed after the Good Friday Agreement to investigate a number of high profile cases.
However, before he left office, he said it had become clear to him, that despite his agreement with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, that the British government did not want to carry out an inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.
The desire to avoid an inquiry continued to this day, Mr Ahern told RTÉ radio’s News at One.
Following numerous conversations, Mr Blair had been persuaded to “look at a lot of things” including an inquiry into Bloody Sunday.
Mr Ahern said he had asked Mr Blair “many times” if the collusion in the case of Mr Finucane “went to the top, to the political level” and was reassured by Mr Blair that it did not.
Mr Ahern said he had no doubt that in the case of Mr Finucane there had been “extraordinary collusion” involving the army, the RUC and the security forces.
While he accepted that there could not be full inquiries in all cases, there was a clear case of the need for a public inquiry into the case of Mr Finucane.