Overview
- The independent statutory inquiry chaired by Sir Gary Hickinbottom held a first procedural hearing in Belfast on June 10, 2026 to set scope, legal basis and next steps.
- Baroness Nuala O'Loan and international lawyer Francesca Del Mese were named as assessors and senior counsel and legal teams were introduced for a process expected to run for several years.
- The Police Service of Northern Ireland told the inquiry it will fully cooperate and has begun a major programme to recover and organise historic records for evidence review.
- The inquiry has inquisitorial powers to compel documents and witness attendance but cannot determine civil or criminal guilt; any prosecutions would require separate criminal action.
- The Finucane family, who campaigned for decades, welcomed the start as a chance for answers about long‑reported state collusion in the 1989 killing and for possible closure.