Leading officers of the Law Society of Northern Ireland are trying to stop their own Human Rights Committee from considering a report on the alleged role of British intelligence in the murder of a Belfast solicitor, Mr Pat Finucane, 10 years ago, it was claimed yesterday.
The claim was revealed in the High Court in Belfast during an application for leave to apply for a judicial review aimed at overturning the decision taken by three officers.
The application was brought by a solicitor, Mr Barra McGrory, chairman of the Human Rights Committee, who said the report, Deadly Intelligence - State involvement in Loyalist murders in Northern Ireland, was drawn up by the British-Irish Rights Watch.
Mr McGrory said that on February 15th he forwarded a copy to Mr John Bailie, chief executive of the Law Society, and asked him to include it for consideration at a meeting of the Human Rights Committee due to take place yesterday.
But on March 3rd Mr Bailie informed him that it been decided by himself in association with the president, Ms Catherine Dixon, and the junior vice-president, Mr John Meehan, not to refer the report to the committee.
Mr McGrory's affidavit stated that if the officers' claim to control the deliberations of the Human Rights Committee was not resisted, "the council will potentially be deprived of the detailed consideration of the document by those experienced members of the committee who are not members of the Law Society Council."
The society's lawyer, Mr Patrick Good, said the council had already considered various aspects of the Finucane case at its last two meetings, including a letter from Mr Finucane's widow.
Mr Justice Kerr granted leave to proceed with the application, and the judical review will be heard next Monday.