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Why the BBC can't display their cash for honours report |
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Written by Staff Writer
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Mar 02, 2007 at 10:57 PM |
Injunction
The British Attorney-General, Lord Goldsmith, last night obtained an injunction on the behalf of the Metropolitan police barring the BBC from broadcasting a story about the cash for honours inquiry.
The Attourney General and the Metropolitan police released identical statements, that seemed to indicate criminal convictions were likely.
"Lord Goldsmith - a member of the Cabinet - was acting independently of the government in seeking the injunction, his spokesman stressed.
"The application for an injunction was made by the Attorney-General this afternoon at the specific request of and in co-operation with the police, because of their concern that disclosure of certain information at this stage would impede their inquiries," he said.
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"The Attorney-General acted completely independently of government and in his independent public-interest capacity."
The cash for honours inquiry was sparked in March last year by complaints to the Metropolitan police by MPs from the Scottish National party and Plaid Cymru that honours appeared to have been offered in return for financial support to the major parties.
A Downing Street source said last night that the first No 10 knew that an injunction had either been sought or granted was when they saw the 10 O'clock News.
Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader and a barrister, said the implication of last night's injunction was that Lord Goldsmith thought it possible there may be a prosecution in the cash for honours affair.
Sir Menzies told BBC2's Newsnight: "The important thing to remember is that the attorney general acts in the public interest and in particular he has an interest to ensure that no possible prosecution is prejudiced and no possible defence is prejudiced."
It should be noted that the injunction only affects England, so the BBC should be free to brooadcast the report in Scotland and Ireland.
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Tony Blair is also under question over the legal justification for the Iraq war.
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