PROGRESS URGED ON OMAGH CASE
Progress urged on Omagh case
THE Omagh bomb compensation case will go ahead next April unless there are convincing objections, a judge said yesterday. Mr Justice Morgan was responding to a claim by a lawyer in the High Court in Belfast that "shenanigans" in the Republic were delaying the trial beyond reason.
The judge said he was determined that the S14 million compensation case would start on April 7. If it did not proceed then, he said, it would be after the 10th anniversary of the Real IRA atrocity which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins.
The judge referred to Article 6 of the Human Rights Act which guarantees a fair trial and said: "I simply don't see how leaving this case until after the tenth anniversary is not running a grave risk in relation to Article 6."
Brett Lockhart QC, for the relatives for the dead and injured, said he feared a continuance of moves by the defendants to further delay the hearing.
He said another factor was that judgment had still to be given in the trial of Sean Hoey, the only person charged with the 1998 bomb murders.
Mr Justice Morgan interjected to say: "I am anticipating that may come relatively soon."
Mr Lockhart said his clients wanted to see the case come on as soon as possible.
He said the Court of Appeal had already stated that every possible objection was being taken to the proceedings "not only here but in the Republic of Ireland."
"There are all sorts of shenanigans going on down South in relation to delaying this trial," he said.
The prospect of further delay was raised by defence counsel Mary Higgins, QC, who said it was intended to make an abuse of process application because of the delay in the hearing.
Mr Justice Morgan said that on January 10 he would deal with submissions to adjourn the April 7 trial but emphasised: "The time has come to simply get on with it."
The case began in 2001 with writs issued against alleged Real IRA leaders Michael McKevitt, Seamus Daly, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus McKenna, who have denied liability.
Meanwhile the PSNI has said that it will publish an edited version of its investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds from charity soccer matches in aid of the Omagh fund in 1999.
A PSNI spokesman said that two investigations into the allegations had been completed but no crime had been committed.
On Thursday the Police Ombudsman criticised the RUC's refusal to act on a request from the victims families in 2000 for police to investigate the allegations.
THE Omagh bomb compensation case will go ahead next April unless there are convincing objections, a judge said yesterday. Mr Justice Morgan was responding to a claim by a lawyer in the High Court in Belfast that "shenanigans" in the Republic were delaying the trial beyond reason.
The judge said he was determined that the S14 million compensation case would start on April 7. If it did not proceed then, he said, it would be after the 10th anniversary of the Real IRA atrocity which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins.
The judge referred to Article 6 of the Human Rights Act which guarantees a fair trial and said: "I simply don't see how leaving this case until after the tenth anniversary is not running a grave risk in relation to Article 6."
Brett Lockhart QC, for the relatives for the dead and injured, said he feared a continuance of moves by the defendants to further delay the hearing.
He said another factor was that judgment had still to be given in the trial of Sean Hoey, the only person charged with the 1998 bomb murders.
Mr Justice Morgan interjected to say: "I am anticipating that may come relatively soon."
Mr Lockhart said his clients wanted to see the case come on as soon as possible.
He said the Court of Appeal had already stated that every possible objection was being taken to the proceedings "not only here but in the Republic of Ireland."
"There are all sorts of shenanigans going on down South in relation to delaying this trial," he said.
The prospect of further delay was raised by defence counsel Mary Higgins, QC, who said it was intended to make an abuse of process application because of the delay in the hearing.
Mr Justice Morgan said that on January 10 he would deal with submissions to adjourn the April 7 trial but emphasised: "The time has come to simply get on with it."
The case began in 2001 with writs issued against alleged Real IRA leaders Michael McKevitt, Seamus Daly, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus McKenna, who have denied liability.
Meanwhile the PSNI has said that it will publish an edited version of its investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds from charity soccer matches in aid of the Omagh fund in 1999.
A PSNI spokesman said that two investigations into the allegations had been completed but no crime had been committed.
On Thursday the Police Ombudsman criticised the RUC's refusal to act on a request from the victims families in 2000 for police to investigate the allegations.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0857
Published Date: 08-Dec-07
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