Denis Donaldson family ‘deeply dismayed’ at further inquest delay

The family of Denis Donaldson says they are deeply dismayed at the decision by Coroner’s court in Donegal to further adjourn the inquest until March 2019 into the circumstances surrounding his death
Mr Donaldson, 55, was shot dead at a remote cottage on the outskirts of Glenties in April 2006.
He had been living there since being exposed as an MI5 agent the previous year.
In a statement released by Ciaran Shiels of Madden & Finucane Solicitors on behalf of the Donaldson family, they say:
“The Donaldson family are deeply dismayed by the Irish State’s continuing interference with their right to an Article 2 compliant inquest. Over the last 12 and a half years, this inquest has been adjourned on 22 consecutive occasions. While not treated as a “legacy case”, the time-wasting and obstruction by criminal justice agencies, north and south, is making it a legacy case.
“At the heart of this case is a criminal conspiracy involving State agents in the exposure of Denis Donaldson as an informer for the RUC, PSNI and MI5, leading to his murder in April 2006. In the cover-up which has followed, Gardaí have invoked “State security” to prevent the return of the Journal in which Denis was writing days before his murder.
“In July 2017, the Police Ombudsman in the North confirmed the investigative value of Denis’ journal to his Investigation and gave an explicit undertaking to the Donaldson family to initiate proceedings to recover the journal. To the present day, however, Denis’ journal remains in the control of Gardaí.
“With his background in Northern policing, the new Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is very familiar with the case of Denis Donaldson. When he appears before the Policing Authority in Dublin for the first time on Thursday, Commissioner Harris can spare the Donaldson family further distress by directing that Denis’ journal is returned to the family. We would call upon him publicly to make that pledge.”