12 Nov DUBLIN MONAGHAN BOMB FAMILIES GRANTED LEAVE TO CHALLENGE STATE
We act on behalf of the Dublin Monaghan bombing families and survivors. For many years now they have sought access to all the investigation files and information held by the British Authorities.
They are currently in the advanced stages of an ongoing High court civil action against the British Government and its agencies alleging collusion by the security forces with loyalist paramilitaries. Earlier this year they won a landmark ruling dismissing an attempt to have the case thrown out. Their outstanding application to get discovery of documents is due to be finalised shortly.
The 50 year battle for information shifted to the High court in Dublin when the son of one of the murder victims filed an application for judicial review against the Irish State over a similar failing. Paddy Askins father Patrick was killed in the Monaghan bombing in 1974. Last month he lodged proceedings to challenge the Gardai Commissioner and the Justice Minister over their failure to send all their files to the Police Ombudsman in the North to assist in her investigation entitled Operation Newham. PONI are in the last stages of preparing a thematic inquiry into wider allegations of collusion between The Glennane Gang [Mid Ulster UVF] and the Security Forces in the mid-1970s.
Speaking today after the High court in Dublin formally granted Leave to take the case to a full hearing solicitor Kevin Winters said,
“It was bad enough for the families and survivors to learn that gardai had failed to hand over intelligence files to PONI. However then to learn recently that in fact nothing at all had been transferred was very demoralising.
It makes a mockery of all previous ministerial pontification about the Irish state cooperating with their Northern counter parts to ensure transparency. Regrettably there’s been nothing of the sort. Its depressing that after all this time families have to traipse to court to force the Irish authorities to hand over files on the worst ever atrocity of the Troubles. Having done so it’s very welcome that today the High court made orders granting Leave to take this case to the next stage. The systemic indifference to the plight of these families triggered judicial intervention against both the Gardai Commissioner and the Justice Minister. We now call upon the authorities to do the right thing on foot of today’s conceding leave and make those files available as soon as possible. Any continued failure to act on this only serves to fuel suspicion that the Irish as well as the British authorities are covering up collusion allegations.”