Letters issued to republican terrorism suspects - so-called On the Runs - were not an amnesty and the scheme was lawful, a judge has found.
Lady Justice Hallett's review, ordered by PM David Cameron, found "significant systemic failures" in how it operated.
The scheme was made public when the trial collapsed of a man suspected of the 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombing.
John Downey was wrongly told he was not wanted by any UK police force. However, he was still being sought by the Met.
'Catastrophic mistake'Lady Justice Hallett said the letter to him was the result of a "catastrophic mistake" by police in Northern Ireland.
The police had realised they had made a mistake, but the assurance to the County Donegal man was never withdrawn.
"Nothing in law or logic" explained their failure to rectify the error, Lady Justice Hallett said.
She found that while the scheme was not a secret deal, it was kept "below the radar" because of political sensitivities.
There was enough information in the public domain for anyone keeping a close eye on Northern Ireland affairs to have known there was such as scheme, she said.
The report, published on Thursday, also found that letters were issued in error to two other republican terror suspects.
Lady Justice Hallett also found:
- The scheme was not designed, but evolved, which meant there was no overall policy nor responsibility and accountability for it
- It lacked proper lines of responsibility, accountability and safeguards
- When errors came to light, opportunities were missed to rectify them
The terms of reference of Lady Justice Hallett's review were to produce a full public account of the operation and extent of the scheme, and to determine whether any letters contained errors.
The judge did not have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence.
Early releaseThe Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement of 1998 meant anyone convicted of paramilitary crimes was eligible for early release from prison.
However, this did not cover those suspected of such crimes, nor did it cover people who had been charged or convicted, but who had escaped from prison.
Sinn Féin sought a scheme that would allow escaped prisoners and those who were concerned they might be arrested to return to the UK, but a formal legal solution proved difficult to establish in the face of strong unionist opposition.
In addition to the Hallett Review, MPs at Westminster's Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee have been holding public evidence sessions to look at the scheme.
Witnesses who have appeared before the committee include former Northern Ireland secretaries Peter Hain and Paul Murphy, current and former senior police officers, former detectives involved in administering the scheme and relatives of victims of the Troubles.
Separately, police in Northern Ireland are reviewing the process that led to the issuing of the letters.
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