The Cory Collusion Inquiry was established to conduct an independent inquiry into deaths relating to the '

Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...

' in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. A retired

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

judge,

Peter Cory Peter deCarteret Cory, (October 25, 1925 – April 7, 2020) was a puisne judge of the Supreme Court of Canada, from 1989 to 1999. Early life and education Born in Windsor, Ontario, the son of Andrew and Mildred (Beresford Howe) Cory, he was educ ...

was appointed to undertake a thorough investigation of allegations of

collusion Collusion is a deceitful agreement or secret cooperation between two or more parties to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading or defrauding others of their legal right. Collusion is not always considered illegal. It can be used to att ...

between British and Irish security forces and paramilitaries in six particular cases in Northern Ireland. Two of the cases - the killing of two

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...

officers and the killing of Northern Ireland Lord Justice Maurice Gibson and Lady Cecily Gibson - relate to allegations of collusion by the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

and these reports were submitted to the Irish government.

The Inquiry

In the case of the two RUC officers, who were killed in an ambush by the Provisional IRA on 20 March 1989, Cory considered all the relevant material, including intelligence reports, and concluded that evidence was revealed that, if accepted, could be found to constitute collusion. As a result, he recommended a public inquiry into the matter. The

Smithwick Tribunal The Smithwick Tribunal was an Republic of Ireland, Irish Public inquiries in the Republic of Ireland, Tribunal of Inquiry into the events surrounding the 1989 Jonesborough ambush, killing of Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Robe ...

is currently considering evidence (as of October 2006). In the case of Lord Justice and Lady Gibson, who were killed in a car-bomb explosion by the Provisional IRA on 25 April 1987, Mr Justice Cory concluded that there is no evidence of collusion by the Garda Síochána or any other Government agency that would warrant the holding of an inquiry. The other four cases - the murders of

Pat Finucane Patrick Finucane (; 21 March 1949 – 12 February 1989) was an Irish lawyer who specialised in criminal defence work. Finucane came to prominence due to his successful challenge of the British government in several important human rights cases ...

, Robert Hamill,

Rosemary Nelson Rosemary Nelson (''née'' Magee; 4 September 1958 – 15 March 1999) was an Irish solicitor who was killed with a bomb planted in her car by an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in 1999. A bomb exploded under Nelson's car at her home in Lurgan ...

and Billy Wright - relate to allegations of collusion by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

security forces and these were submitted to the British Government.

The result

Cory recommended in all four cases that the UK Government hold public inquiries: * An inquiry into Rosemary Nelson case opened at the

Craigavon Craigavon may refer to: * Craigavon, County Armagh, a planned town in Northern Ireland ** Craigavon Borough Council, 1972–2015 local government area centred on the planned town * Viscount Craigavon, title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom ** ...

Civic Centre in April 2005. The panel members are Sir Michael Morland (Chair), Dame Valerie Strachan and Sir Anthony Burden. * June 2005 saw the Billy Wright inquiry open, chaired by Lord MacLean. Also sitting on the inquiry are academic professor

Andrew Coyle Andrew Coyle CMG is Emeritus Professor of Prison Studies at the University of London. Between 1997 and 2005, Coyle was founding director of the International Centre for Prison Studies at the School of Law, King's College London. In 2003, he was ...

from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

and the former

Bishop of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. The episcopal see is centred in the Hereford, City of Hereford where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is in the Hereford Cathedr ...

, the Reverend John Oliver. * The preliminary hearing of the

Robert Hamill Inquiry The Robert Hamill Inquiry was set up in 2004 by the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Paul Murphy. Background The Inquiry was established to investigate the death of Robert Hamill, following an incident in Portadown, County Armag ...

was held on 24 May 2005 in

Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...

. The inquiry is chaired by Sir Edwin Jowitt, the other panel members are Sir John Evans and Reverend Baroness (Kathleen) Richardson of Calow and started its full hearings in January 2009. * The UK Government announced an inquiry would be held into the Pat Finucane case. The report of the Patrick Finucane Review, headed by

Sir Desmond de Silva Sir George Desmond Lorenz de Silva, (13 December 1939 – 2 June 2018) was a British criminal law barrister and international lawyer who served as the United Nations Chief War Crimes Prosecutor in Sierra Leone. Early life Desmond de Silva was ...

, was published in January 2012. On 7 June 2005 the British government passed the

Inquiries Act 2005 The Inquiries Act 2005 (c 12) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. According to the explanatory notes, published by the Department for Constitutional Affairs, the Act "is intended to provide a comprehensive statutory framework for ...

, limiting the scope of the inquiries proposed by Cory, which Cory has criticised, stating that it "...would make a meaningful inquiry impossible"

External links

Cory Collusion Inquiry Report - Chief Superintendent Breen and Superintendent Buchanan
7 October 2003
Cory Collusion Inquiry Report - Lord Justice Gibson and Lady Gibson
7 October 2003
Cory Collusion Inquiry Report -Billy Wright
HMSO. 2004
Cory Collusion Inquiry Report - Robert Hamill
HMSO. 2004
Cory Collusion Inquiry Report - Rosemary Nelson
HMSO. 2004
Cory Collusion Inquiry Report - Pat Finucane
HMSO. 2004

References

{{reflist Northern Ireland peace process Public inquiries in Ireland