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Letter from Mr Christoph Bettermann to
Mr Neil Hamilton MP
I refer to our conversation and your subsequent
letters asking about my experience with the Fayeds especially
Mohamed. Please do accept my apologies that it took so long.
1. IMS in the DTI Report
The Fayeds lied 111 times to the Inspectors
if I did not miscount. And lie 112 is: . . . "the Fayeds
told us that they paid approximately $25 million when they purchased
IMS in July 1984".
I enclose a copy of the sale/purchase agreement
signed by Ernst Pieper and Mohamed Al-Fayed. The price is mentioned
under 1.02 page 2: . . . "sum of US $ 1.."
2. Alison Bozak
I do not remember Philip Bromfield. Iris Bond
used to work for Ali. During the time I worked for the Fayeds
I hardly ever saw her working for Mohamed. Even when she answered
the phone she would connect me with one of the other girls working
for Mohamed rather than putting me through to Mohamed. Neither
girl ever worked in Harrods. So if Iris said she saw Mohamed
putting cash into envelopes in Harrods I would very much doubt
the truth of such statement.
As far as Alison is concerned I remember very
clearly the following incident where she lied on Mohamed's instruction.
In 1989-90 Mohamed wanted a cook to work for
him in Oxted. IMS had its own catering department so we were
asked to send the best cook we had for testing and training to
England.
We sent a cook - Ho Chee Sing - a Sri Lankan
to London for training. Fayed liked the man and his cooking and
we were told that he would not return to Dubai, but stay in Oxted
and that Fayed would obtain the necessary visa for him.
After some time Fayed told me that I might be
questioned by Immigration because they had caught Ho Chee Sing
when he tried to re-enter Britain. When questioned Chee Sing had
given Alison's address and phone number and Alison upon Fayed's
instruction had told Immigration that Chee Sing stayed with her
during his visit to London. The reason for staying with her being
that I as his boss lived with Alison, who was my girlfriend.
Which of course was not true. I did not have any sort of relationship
with Alison and I did not live with her and had never visited
her home nor did I know where it was. Although I protested Mohamed
asked me to confirm the statement to immigration or police if
I would be questioned which I never was.
Ho Chee Sing as far as I am aware was finally
brought into Britain in 1991 on an employment visa for the Dorchester.
The firm who dealt with Immigration on behalf of Fayed was a company
called Ferguson and Snell.
3. Michael Cole
I also remember a small incident where I was
asked to give wrong statement in autumn 1989.
This time it was Michael Cole - Fayed's director
of information. Cole called me as he said upon instructions of
Mohamed Fayed. He told me that he had been approached by the press
who were inquiring whether Fayed companies were involved in any
deals connected with ivory. He was especially asked whether it
was true that Dubai Trade and Trust Company (DTTC) was trading
in large quantities of ivory. DTTC's core business was clearing
and forwarding, I was its Managing Director. I told him that we
were not trading in ivory, but that we had cleared and stored
a large amount of ivory for a client in a rented warehouse in
Ajman.
I told him that this was legal in the UAE since
the UAE was not a signatory to the relevant treaties in respect
of protected species. I told him that if the Fayeds did not want
us to handle certain goods then they would only need to tell
us and we would happily follow their request. But since nobody
had told us we did handle the ivory.
At this stage Cole requested that if approached
by the press I should state that we had acted in breach of instructions
given in a circular in respect to protected species which had
been issued for House of Fraser/Harrods in early 1989. I protested
since we had never received any circulars and told him that I
could handle the press.
We were however never approached by the press
and Cole told me that he had managed to solve the problem.
4. Martin MuÏller
Another incident happened in connection with
my case. This time it was Martin MuÏller, Fayed's lawyer
in Switzerland.
MuÏller obtained a sequestration order
for the account of Cornish Investment based on his false statement
to the Geneva Court after which Mohamed Fayed was US$ 18,000
richer. This was the account we had transferred the US$ 900,000
to.
Hamid Jafar who was the beneficial owner of
that account had chosen not to act against the order based on
advice given by the bank and Clifford Chance.
He later changed his mind and Cornish Investments
through their Swiss lawyer later reported the case to the public
prosecutor who chose not to pursue the matter.
Interestingly MuÏller/Fayed never claimed
the costs they had been awarded. If you feel it might be of interest
for you, then you should ask Hamid Jafar, for the details from
his lawyer. I am happy to make the introduction.In the meantime
I enclose some of the papers I have.
5. Mark Griffith and John MacNamara
MacNamara had told me in Malaga that:
(i) he was not taping our conversation
(ii) that Hamid Jafar was not the owner
of Crescent Petroleum
(iii) that Mr Schnieders had freely given
a statement saying that IMS had been defrauded of US$ 450,000.
MacNamara has told me that he was bugging offices
in Harrods and South Street and that this was legal in England.
I also recall that Mark Griffith told me that
most of Francesca Pollard's letters were produced by him and
John MacNamara. I remember that he and MacNamara wrote one of
these letters in April 1991.
6. Ian Tew
As far as Tew is concerned I have no proof that
he was acting on instructions by giving evidence in my case.
Although when I met Suliman IMS's Chief Accountant
at that time during the Hearings I asked him whether IMS pays
for Tew and he told me,"yes and it is very costly since he
(Tew) is staying for weeks in the Sheraton". He said he
did not know whether Tew actually received any money from the
Fayeds.
I also have not much to prove that he lied although
I know he did.
Tew was very surprised when he was presented
in the Dubai hearings with his handwritten schedule in which
he noted possible and actual awards. He was at great pain to explain
why he had estimated not more than US$500,000 as possible award
contrary to his earlier statement that we should have been awarded
$2,000,000. Unfortunately my defence lawyer that day (one of
three) did not quite understand the issue and did not pursue
the interrogation as I would have done.
He lied when he said that he had estimated the
possible award of $2,000,000 and referred to a memo addressed
to me. My secretary at the time can confirm that I dictated the
memo and not Tew. I had Ian sign it so that I could use it for
my negotiations with Crescent. The reason for this being that
Hamid Jafar had shown me a telex from Clifford Chance estimating
a possible award not more than $548,450. I therefore requested
a similar statement from Elborne Mitchell showing the much higher
figure of GBP 2,000,000. Since Tew could not get this from Elborne
Mitchell we produced this memo.
Tew also denied that I had shown him the fire
expert's report prepared for Clifford Chance. In discovery Fayed
presented however the report with my handwriting on the cover
page stating: "IT confidential for discussion", I am
afraid I am not supposed to disclose this. If you need an official
statement please let me know how to handle it.
7. Wilfried Schnieders
As far as Wilfried
Schnieders is concerned. He was put under pressure by his superiors
(Wulf Hagemann Managing Director, Heinz Feuerborn Head of Personnel
of DEEG) who in turn had been put under pressure by Fayed's friend
Ernst Pieper to co-operate with McNamara.
Pieper was at that time chairman of the managing
Board of Preussag. DEEG is a subsidiary of Preussag and Schnieders
had been on secondment from DST/Deutag a subsidiary of DEEG.
When the result was not to Fayed's satisfaction
more pressure was put on Schnieders. Schnieders has been shown
letters from Fayed to Pieper complaining about him. As a consequence
Schnieders' career within the group has come to a halt. Schnieders
is ready to talk to you if you have not already done so.
8. Cash Payments to employees
Before I finish do you know that Fayed used
to cheat the Treasury every month by paying cash to a number
of employees.
I am afraid this is all I can remember, I am
sorry it took some time. But I hope some of it is useful for your
case. Please do call me if you require clarification or more
details.
Christoph Bettermann 3 January 1997
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