The Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman is to investigate the 1991 murder of Sinn Fein councillor Eddie Fullerton.
Senior investigators from the office of Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan have already interviewed the victim's family, who today met with the Taoiseach in Dublin. Mr Fullerton was shot dead in front of his wife at his Buncrana home in an attack blamed on a UDA paramilitary gang.
The family today raised fresh demands for a public inquiry at a long-awaited hour-long meeting with the Taoiseach at Government Buildings. Daughter Amanda said: "The Police Ombudsman's Office has sanctioned an inquiry into RUC/PSNI activities across the Border and investigators interviewed us about daddy's case in Dublin yesterday."
The Fullerton family gave the Taoiseach an overview of their campaign to date and asked him to ensure that the state and gardai co-operated with the Police Ombudsman's inquiries. Chief Superintendent Noel White was appointed in 2004 by Justice Minister Michael McDowell to re-examine evidence in the Fullerton case. He met the Fullerton family in August and later submitted an initial report to them on his findings.
"The response was totally unsatisfactory and raised more questions than answers," Amanda said. The Taoiseach told the Fullertons that the senior garda was continuing his work on the issue. Amanda met the Taoiseach with her mother, Diana; sisters Anita and Marina and brothers Eddie and Johnny. They handed over a dossier on their key concerns to the Taoiseach after the meeting.
The Taoiseach's decision to meet the Fullerton family comes after intensive campaigning by the family and by Sinn Fein for an independent public inquiry into alleged collusion between loyalists and British security forces on the 1991 murder.
Mr Fullerton served 12 years as a Sinn Fein councillor on Donegal County Council and Buncrana Urban Town Council. His son, Albert had spearheaded a 15-year family campaign for justice until his death in a road accident last March. The issue was also raised by Sinn Fein at the multi-party talks at St Andrews in Scotland last month.