The Ancient Order of Hibernians has issued a strong rebuke of Sir Declan Morgan, Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), for his defense of employing former Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Army personnel in roles investigating legacy cases from the Northern Ireland conflict.
"For Sir Declan Morgan, Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery to defend the hiring of former Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Army personnel with the specious argument, 'If former IRA men can select the Chief Constable, why can’t we employ ex-RUC officers?' is rhetorical sleight of hand.," said AOH National President Sean Pender in a statement.
"His comparison of the ICRIR’s use of former RUC and Army personnel in an investigative capacity to former IRA-affiliated individuals serving on the Policing Board to select a Chief Constable trades on political optics and false equivalence, not logical or factual integrity, and he knows it," said Pender.
And Pender added: "The Chief Constable is responsible for present-day law enforcement, not for investigating the past actions of those who appointed him.
The ICRIR, by contrast, is tasked with investigating unresolved crimes from the Northern Ireland conflict - cases in which the very institutions these individuals once served are central suspects. A full and credible pursuit of justice would, in many instances, require these individuals to investigate former colleagues, superiors, and regiments they are emotionally attached to. That is the textbook definition of conflict of interest.
"Sir Declan seems to have forgotten the principle he publicly affirmed in 2014: 'I do think that you need to be very careful not to be a judge in your own case.' That standard of impartiality was rightly invoked then. It applies even more critically now.
"Sir Declan’s analogy isn’t an appeal to justice, balance or logic; it’s cynical misdirection that collapses under the weight of scrutiny. Successful reconciliation depends on investigations whose impartiality is beyond reproach, and whose dedication to the pursuit of justice - no matter where it leads - is beyond question.
"Sir Declan is far too experienced a jurist to miss the fallacy in his own argument. That he would advance it calls into serious question both his impartiality and the integrity of the mission he leads."
