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Letter from the Parliamentary Commissioner
for Standards to Mr Ian Greer
As part of your evidence to the inquiry you
have supplied me with a transcript of a taped telephone conversation
between yourself and Mr. Royston Webb when Mr Webb was in the
Middle East in October 1994. Mr Webb had told me that a second
telephone conversation on the same subject took place between
you and him a few days later, after his return to London. Is
a transcript available of that conversation? If so, may I please
have a copy? If not, I would be interested in your explanation
as to why the first conversation was recorded but not the second,
or as to why a tape or transcript no longer exists of the second
conversation.
An early reply would be appreciated.
Sir Gordon Downey
27 February 1997
Letter from Mr Ian Greer to the Parliamentary
Commissioner for Standards
Thank you for your letter of 27 February.
Mr Webb is quite right. There were two telephone
conversations. Both took place whilst Mr Webb was in Dubai, fighting
allegations in defence of Mr Fayed, who was accused of bribery
and corruption.
The first conversation took place prior
to the conversation of which you have the transcript. I made the
call to him on both occasions. On the first occasion, it was
a relatively brief discussion, when I expressed my horror at
the untrue and astonishing allegations that were being made by
Mr Fayed. In the course of the short discussion, Mr Webb made
it clear that that he knew of no financial arrangement that Mr
Fayed had entered into with any Member of Parliament or myself.
I informed my solicitors, Carter Ruck, of the
conversation that had taken place and they urged me to speak
to him again and to tape the conversation, which I did. It is
not my practice to tape telephone conversations.
No discussions whatsoever have taken place with
Mr Webb since that day. My company issued proceedings against
The Guardian and it was clear that Mr Fayed was the source
of the story. It would therefore have been quite improper for
me to speak to him and vice versa. Indeed, my lawyers would have
cautioned against it.
It would appear that Mr Webb is cleverly mixing
fact and fiction again, which I imagine is not surprising, as
he is still employed by Mr Fayed/Harrods.
Ian Greer
28 February 1997
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