Breaking news: the High Court has just ruledthat the Serious Fraud Office acted unlawfully in dropping the probe into corruption allegations around the Al Yamamah arms deal. The Court has criticised the SFO for failing to stand up to Government pressure and has said that the SFO broke the law as a result.
As the Government pressure came direct from the then Prime Minister and Attorney General (Blair and Goldsmith), this ruling is a major rebuff to Labour.
It leaves a big question for Gordon Brown: is he going to respect the courts and now give full Government backing to the anti-corruption investigation, or will Labour continue to try to undermine and block it?
The ruling will also reinforce the calls for a public inquiry into the handling of the affair by the SFO and by Labour; you can sign the petition here.
UPDATE: Vince Cable has told the BBC that the ruling is “a devastating indictment of the government”, which had “crossed the line between law and politics”.
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3 Comments
This is a great subject for LDs to attack on because it’s another where Lab/Con are in sordid agreement.
The High Court have made a powerful assertion of the independence and integrity of the British legal system. This assertion is made against the Government, and by implication against those who have gone along with the Govenment line. It is our duty as LibDems, as well as to our political advatage, to hammer home our support for the High Court.
Second, the High Court have noted tha the Government have effectivly not disputed the facts alleged. We must therefore assume that the allegations of the complainants are true; and hammer the Government and its Tory predecessor on the Al Yamamah deal.
This is a great result for justice and must be seen as a kick in the teeth for the Labour government. Great stuff!