SIR John Stevens's long-awaited report into the 1989 murder of solicitor Pat Finucane is set to be published in the midst of final political wranglings over the restoration of Northern Ireland's devolved administration.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner's inquiry report is scheduled to be released on April 17 as the British and Irish governments make their final push to resolve the latest crisis in the peace process.
Sir John is expected to recommend a series of criminal charges, including conspiracy to murder, against 23 serving or former British army and police officers.
There had been widespread concern that the report would be indefinitely postponed, but last night the Metropolitan Police confirmed that April 17 was now the "provisional date" for publication.
SDLP justice spokesman Alex Attwood said its findings would vindicate Policing Board efforts to replace Special Branch with "credible and accountable intelligence gathering".
He said it would not directly influence the political process, but would add weight to the calls for a full inquiry into the Finucane case.
"The British and Irish governments will be back in the north before the date earmarked for the report's publication, so what they are proposing in relation to the implementation of the agreement will all be concluded by then," Mr Attwood said.
He said that the Stevens report would underline the need for an independent international judicial inquiry.
"Stevens is not central to the ongoing political process because it is not where nationalist reassurances will be sourc-ed. Rather, nationalist reassurance will be sourced in an independent international in-quiry that gets to the truth behind Pat Finu-cane's murder," he said.
Sir John's investigation originally centred on the murder of Pat Finucane. However, the probe soon widened, as the extent of collusion between loyalists and the security forces became apparent.
The probe is the third to be led by Stevens in Northern Ireland.
His 'Stevens III' report is expected to support claims that there was collusion between the security forces and loyalists.
The report will also conclude that the British army was responsible for a fire at the Carrickfergus headquarters of Sir John's first inquiry team in 1990.
Since 1989, detectives working on the Stevens' Inquiry have interviewed 15,000 people, catalogued 4,000 exhibits, taken 5,640 statements and seized 6,000 documents.
Only one person has been charged in connection with the killing of Mr Finucane. However, the case against William Stobie, a self-confessed UDA quartermaster and RUC Special Branch informer, who admitted supplying the guns used in the murder, collapsed in November 2001. Mr Stobie was shot dead by loyalists a short time later.
