The family of Seamus Ludlow has given a guarded welcome to reports that the Irish government will release details of a report into the 1976 murder.
Mr Ludlow's nephew Jimmy Sharkey last night (Wednesday) said relatives had adopted a "wait and see attitude" to comment by the Republic's Justice Minister Michael McDowell regarding the killing.
The minister, who was instrumental in ordering a second inquest into the forestry worker's death at hands of four loyalists close to the border, told reporters that the government did not want to keep secret a report being compiled on the killing by Justice Henry Barron.
Mr McDowell said that the government would publish Justice Barron's findings "as far as it is legally possible".
Mr Sharkey said he welcomed news that authorities in the Republic planned to release information on the judge's findings but expressed concern that the report might not be published in full.
"We would obviously prefer to see the whole report," he added.
Meanwhile, a second nephew Michael Donegan has claimed that a letter relatives received recently from Justice Barron backed claims that lies had been spread about his uncle during the murder investigation.
Judge Barron, investigating the Dublin/Monaghan and Dundalk bombings as well as the Ludlow killing, said that he had seen intelligence passed to the Garda's security section claiming that the forestry worker was shot by the IRA as an informer. He added, however, that gardai to whom he had spoken did not accept the claim.
"The comment confirms what we have been saying all along – that there were elements in the gardai, as well as the British army and RUC, who were spreading lies about Uncle Seamus," said Mr Donegan.
The family's solicitor is now planning to pursue the issue with Judge Barron as well as his revelation that the inquiry's progress was being "slowed owing to the absence of any information being received from outside the jurisdiction".
"The 'reformed' PSNI is apparently perpetuating the shameful indifference to the truth in this sad affair that had been maintained by the RUC for more than 25 years after the murder of Uncle Seamus," Mr Donegan said.
