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Letter from Sir Michael Grylls MP to the
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
I thought it might be helpful if I sent you
a brief summary of my response to the completely untrue allegations
made by The Guardian, and listed in your letter of 28
January. [39]
This is a summary, and I would appreciate it if you would read
it in conjunction with my other letters and evidence.
Allegation 1
We were never a formal group to lobby for Mr
Fayed. As one of the Officers of the Trade and Industry Committee,
it was quite normal - in fact one's duty - to take an interest
in a high profile issue. I undertook a limited amount of political
activity for this issue only in 1987 and 1988. No fees
for this were offered or paid by either Mr Greer or Mr Fayed.
I understand Mr Greer has confirmed this in his evidence. Mr Fayed
has said I never had any cash (see his court case statement)
and in his evidence (Q756) said "He took cash from Mr Greer.
It is a possibility I do not know." Therefore I can assure
you I never received material benefit for the limited activity
I undertook.
Allegation 2
I did not accept, so this allegation is untrue.
Allegation 3
I ask you to accept that the only fees I received
from IGA were for supplementary work for UTC and for referral
payments. As I made clear in my Evidence, I would have referred
these people whether or not IGA paid commission.
No fees were paid for taking an interest in
Mr Fayed's problems. Neither Mr Greer nor Mr Fayed have said
I was paid. Furthermore in 1989 I did not undertake any political
activity on the Harrods issue, so there would have been no reason
for anyone to pay me.
Allegation 4
The fees referred to in the Draft Amended defence
(paragraph 12A) had nothing to do with Harrods; these fees were
paid to me for the extra time I spent on the UTC and for the referral
of a number of clients. The whole issue of my declaration of
UTC payments and referrals was dealt with by the Select Committee,
(Third Report 25 July 1990).
Allegation 5
I did not fail to declare payments from IGA
on behalf of Harrods because I did not receive any. Therefore,
there was nothing to declare.
I hope very much that you will accept that The
Guardian does not appear - to the best of my knowledge - to
have produced any evidence to support any of their damaging allegations.
Whatever financial arrangements were made between
Mr Fayed and IGA, I categorically confirm, what I said in evidence,
namely that no money was passed to me by IGA on behalf of Mr Fayed.
There was, therefore, nothing for me to declare in the Register
on behalf of Harrods or IGA on behalf of Harrods.
5 March 1997
39 See Appendix 49 Back
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