The family of murdered Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane has accused the British government of stalling on a decision to hold a public inquiry into his murder in 1989.
Geraldine Finucane, widow of the slain attorney, said Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, had earlier this year promised that he was close to a decision on the case, but she said the inquiry had since been delayed without a proper explanation.
"The Secretary of State, Owen Patterson, told me in March this year that he would make his decision after the Northern Ireland Assembly elections as he was in the final stages of taking that decision," Geraldine Finucane said.
The elections she was referring to were held in May.
"I am also very unhappy that no reason has been provided to me for this delay. Neither correspondence, nor contact, has been made to the family's legal representative or me informing us that the decision has been put back and will be dealt with after the House of Commons recess.
"It is an untenable and insensitive situation and confirms my belief that the policy of delay continues," Mrs. Finucane said.
Pat Finucane was gunned down in his home before his wife and children. The murder was carried out by loyalists but the police and security forces have long been seen as having a hidden hand in the assassination.
