The facts. A total of £14 million in loans was given by twelve wealthy individuals to Labour during the 2005 general election campaign and eight of these men were subsequently nominated for Life Peerages. It is not known whether the other four were offered or given any other kind of reward. Following complaints by the Scottish National Party and others, in March 2006, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that they were investigating possible breaches of the The Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. Subsequently, the police widened their investigation to cover whether any offences had been committed under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. And, offences of perverting or attempting to pervert the course of justice. After a 16 month police investigation, David Perry QC, acting on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, reached a decision not to prosecute. This decision is susceptible to judicial review, and can be quashed, and an Order of Mandamus can be sought to force the CPS to do its duty.
Every once in a while, there comes a political saga which causes the general populace to simply roll their eyes and mutter "See, I told you so". These are the same politicians who insist that, after visiting a home or business, I must record on a force database any form of refreshment or other polite gesture offered to me, in case it was an attempt to affect my impartiality. Hmmm, let me think, if someone were offering me a suitcase full of fivers, would I record my hypothetical acceptance?
ReplyDeleteCorruption exists at high levels and has always existed. Eyes peeled for the totally unrelated knighthood for David Perry QC in the New Year's list.
I think a problem with the 1925 Act is that both buying and selling a honour is a crime, therefore, it is in both their interests to say nowt. On the other hand, if the police had offered two of the disgruntled immunity from prosecution, I feel that they would have squealed like pigs.
ReplyDeleteYes, I suspect that it will be firstly arise Sir David Perry and later, Lord Perry of Unambiguous.