NI: MI5 erased hard drives held by collusion inquiry, BBC investigation reveals
Reading time: 1 minute
British intelligence officers erased hard drives held by a judge-led inquiry examining the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane in 2002, it has emerged.
The retired Canadian judge, Peter Cory, who was leading the inquiry, complained to police but did not press the matter in order to avoid an international incident, according to a BBC investigation.
An episode of BBC Spotlight broadcast yesterday reveals that MI5 visited Judge Cory’s London offices and removed all of the inquiry’s hard drives, citing national security grounds.
The hard drives were returned and later erased, allegedly because MI5 was concerned that the identities of informers could be leaked. The judge had printed back-ups of all of the material and nothing was lost.
Judge Cory raised the matter with Sir John Stevens, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, but chose not to press the matter further in order to avoid a diplomatic incident.
The judge’s eventual report in 2004 recommended a public inquiry into Mr Finucane’s murder, which has yet to be held.
Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss articles like this one:
SUBSCRIBE
