Jeffrey Donaldson
Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who was instrumental in the setting up of the Smithwick Tribunal, has said he was “disappointed” to hear of the challenge to the tribunal’s findings.
Mr Donaldson, who used House of Commons privilege to name a member of the Garda as someone who was passing information to the IRA, said the State “should not be deflected” on acting on the tribunal findings.
His comments come after three former Dundalk Gardaí challenged the tribunal’s key finding of collusion by unnamed gardaí in the murders of two RUC officers in 1989.
The critique, carried out by retired det chief supt John O’Brien, former chief supt Michael Finnegan and former chief supt Michael Staunton, claimed the tribunal’s finding is not grounded in facts and should be rejected by the Government “as a matter of urgency and justice”.
However, backing the Tribunal Mr Donaldson said the Government should consider “follow through” in pursuit of those responsible for wrongdoing. “If the Garda are not prepared to do this then you have to ask what was the point of the tribunal at all,” he said.
Mr Donaldson, who was a party to the Weston Park agreement in 2000, in which Irish and British authorities agreed to examine alleged collusion on both sides of the Border, said “the work of the tribunal was detailed and thorough”. He said he was disappointed that former Garda officers could be “so dismissive” and he believed they had displayed “not much understanding” of the tribunal’s work.
“The tribunal concluded there was collusion. The Garda needs to revisit and reinvestigate any elements that emerge. With the passage of time that becomes more difficult, but that doesn’t mean this avenue is closed,” he said.
No comment was made by the chairman Judge Peter Smithwick on the challenge to his report.
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