The family of north Louth man Tom Oliver who was murdered by the Provisional IRA has claimed that he was targeted to intimidate members of the public into "turning a blind eye" to paramilitary activities.
Tom Oliver was abducted from his Riverstown farm by the IRA in July 1991.
The killing of the father-of-seven, whose body was found near Belleek, Co Armagh, 15 miles from where he lived, sparked outrage in the area.
Mr Oliver is believed to have been a victim of the notorious British agent codenamed Stakeknife, who operated as a mole within the republican movement for decades.
The IRA later admitted carrying out the murder and claimed that the landowner had been targeted after being identified as an informer.
But Dundalk-based solicitor John Woods last night repeated the Oliver family's insistence that the Mr Oliver had no links with paramilitary activity.
Mr Woods, a long-time family friend and legal representative, said the Olivers strongly refuted claims that had re-emerged since the weekend that the devoted family man was "involved in something dishonourable".
He also called on the IRA leadership to accept that the murder was "a mistake", adding: "The family has been very hurt by the continued suggestion that Tom was in any way involved in dishonourable activities."
Mr Woods described the murder victim as a "hard-working, gregarious family man", devoted to his wife and seven children. He said: "The family has had a terrible time.
"Tom's wife Brid was left to bring up a young family on her own while coping with the claims that were being made by the IRA. This was a couple whose favourite hobby was to go to the local 'ballroom of romance' for dancing.
"Tom was not the kind of person to be involved in anything illegal.
"His murder was designed to intimidate the people of Cooley into turning a blind eye to IRA activities in the area," he added.
The solicitor said that Mr Oliver had been earmarked for murder by the IRA after he reported to local gardai that he had found weapons on his farm. A number of men were arrested following the find but never charged, and a month later Mr Oliver was abducted and killed. No one was ever charged with his murder.
It is understood however that two of the men quizzed by gardai at the time of the arms find were among three suspected Real IRA members jailed in Britain last year after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to cause an explosion and buying weapons.
All three Co Louth men, Fintan Paul O'Farrell (35), Declan John Rafferty (41) and Michael Christopher McDonald (44), who were arrested in Slovakia in 2001, also admitted to trying to obtain detonators, a wire guided missile, rocket propelled grenades, sniper rifles and handguns.
Meanwhile, Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte is expected to raise the matter with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in the Dail today.
