Sinn Féin MP John Finucane said today it was disgraceful that the British security service MI5 withheld hundreds of pages of information from the Kenova Inquiry into the activities of British agents.

And he said that any further delay in the publication of the findings of the Kenova investigation would add to the trauma and the anguish of families who have waited for truth for decades.

John Finucane said:

“News that MI5 withheld hundreds of pages of information from the team of detectives involved in the Kenova Inquiry into the activities of British agents is disgraceful and unsurprising.

“As the British government’s shameful Legacy Act was enacted to close down families’ access to the civil and criminal courts, British intelligence services have delayed the release of information to families who have waited for the truth for decades.

“The discovery that MI5 did not disclose vital information to the Kenova Inquiry may now further delay the publication of the full report into the investigation.

“This revelation will add to the trauma and the anguish of families of the victims, and I am calling on the investigation to process the new information as thoroughly and as quickly as possible.

“It is yet another example that agencies such as MI5 cannot be trusted to self-regulate when it comes to being candid on disclosure or participating in a legacy process without strict independent oversight to verify the accuracy of their actions.”