Attorney general says BAE details were withheld for fear of leaks

The attorney general said today that the Serious Fraud Office had withheld some details of its inquiry into the BAE affair from the world's corruption watchdog because of a fear of leaks.

In a letter, Lord Goldsmith elaborated on his previous denials of allegations that he ordered the SFO to obscure details given to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) concerning the SFO's inquiry into alleged secret payments made to Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia.The attorney general said today that the Serious Fraud Office had withheld some details of its inquiry into the BAE affair from the world's corruption watchdog because of a fear of leaks.

In a letter, Lord Goldsmith elaborated on his previous denials of allegations that he ordered the SFO to obscure details given to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) concerning the SFO's inquiry into alleged secret payments made to Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia.

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But Sir Menzies said: "The plain unvarnished truth is that Britain did not reveal significant information to the OECD. Not only was this a lack of candour, but it was politically inept since the information was bound to come out eventually."

The OECD's anti-bribery panel will next meet in Paris on Tuesday (June 19) and is expected to discuss the disclosures around the BAE affair.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/baefiles/story/0,,2103306,00.html