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Peerages row “politically motivated”

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: The Scotland Yard officer, who led the failed investigation into the cash-for-honours case, is to be questioned by a committee of MPs amid allegations that the whole affair was politically-motivated and designed to “undermine” trust in the Labour Government.

Assistant Commissioner John Yates has been criticised for his handling of the 16-month-long investigation which fizzled out last week after the Crown Prosecution Service ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone. Tony Wright, Labour MP and chairman of the Commons Public Administration Committee, which is expected to question Mr. Yates, described the investigation as a “disaster for the police and a disaster for the political system”. He said he had always been sceptical about the way the inquiry was conducted.

Police have been accused of feeding a media frenzy through damaging “leaks” and conducting the investigation with an eye on “headlines” .

“Those who undertook this investigation used the media to create a false impression of the then the Prime Minister [Tony Blair] and to undermine public trust in the government,” said Peter Mandelson, Britain’s E.U. Commissioner and a friend of Mr Blair. There is also anger in the Labour Party over the “disgraceful” manner in which police treated the alleged suspects. The inquiry, which cost nearly £1 million, was sparked by a complaint from a Scottish Nationalist Party MP Angus MacNeill that the Labour Party “sold” peerages to wealthy businessmen in return for secret loans to it. Two British Asian businessmen — Chai Patel and Ghulam Noon —were among those recommended for peerage after they lent money to the party.

Both have denied that they expected anything in return when they gave the money.

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