The public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane is a “watershed moment” in dealing with Troubles-era cases, his widow has said.Writing in The Irish Times in advance of Wednesday’s opening of the long-awaited inquiry, Geraldine Finucane expressed hope the proceedings would “expose publicly” the “whole truth behind the murder of my husband”.“This has always been the objective of the campaign that we have pursued. We have only ever been concerned with uncovering the truth. It is this that has kept us going,” she wrote.Pat Finucane (39) was shot dead by members of the loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) at his family home in north Belfast in 1989 in an attack subsequently found by a number of investigations to have involved collusion with the British state.His murder was one of the most controversial of the Troubles.Under the inquiry’s terms of reference, it will seek to determine the circumstances of his killing and establish the identity of all those involved and the nature of their involvement.The inquiry will also establish whether the evidence indicates that the murder “could have been prevented” as well as any other relevant “acts or omissions”.Powers of the inquiry will include the ability to compel the production of documents and to summon witnesses to give evidence on oath.[ Independent inquiry into murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane formally establishedOpens in new window ]The Finucane family do not believe the murder was “simply the work of gunmen” who killed him, according to Geraldine Finucane.The inquiry was ordered in 2024 by Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and brought an end to the decades-long campaign led by the Finucane family for a full inquiry after a series of government commissioned investigations uncovered British state collusion in the killing.Geraldine Finucane: 'I believe this inquiry can be a watershed moment in the difficult subject of legacy on this island.' Photo: Stephen Davison Successive UK governments had resisted calls for the establishment of an inquiry.However, former British prime minister David Cameron apologised to the family in 2012 for “shocking levels of state collusion” which had been “demonstrated beyond any doubt”. In 2019, Britain’s supreme court said all previous examinations of the murder had not been compliant with human rights standards.Geraldine Finucane said she and her family have done “everything in our power” to get to this point.[ Frustration at ‘continuing delay’ over public inquiry into Pat Finucane’s deathOpens in new window ]The opening of the inquiry marks “37 years, 3 months, and 30 days” since her husband’s murder, she said.“This is the equivalent of 448 months, or 13,633 days, depending on how you calculate it. This is the length of time that I, my three children and my entire family have spent campaigning for this public inquiry.“We have been saying for all that time that it was required because we believed that agencies within the British state colluded with the loyalist paramilitary organisation who carried out the killing to murder Pat.”The right to “know all the facts” is the right of “every person” affected by the Troubles, she said.“I believe this inquiry can be a watershed moment in the difficult subject of legacy on this island,” she added.“If a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane can finally examine publicly all of the collusion that plagued our society for so many years, there is hope that a real process of healing can begin.”Retired Court of Appeals judge, Gary Hickinbottom, is the inquiry chair.Wednesday’s session has been described as a “procedural hearing which will provide an opportunity to introduce the public to the inquiry”.“In particular, the chair will consider practical issues relating to the conduct of the inquiry’s investigation and future hearings,” a spokesperson said.