Examination of Witness (Questions 740
- 759)
TUESDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2001
MR SAROSH
ZAIWALLA
740. That is about £1,000 and that is perfectly
open?
(Mr Zaiwalla) I cannot deny that. I made out the cheques.
741. The £1,000 is this payment to the
cause and then there was the calendar payment.
(Mr Zaiwalla) 250.
742. And something else?
(Mr Zaiwalla) 200 to the constituency office.
743. We have not been able to establish where
that constituency office payment went to and the calendars I will
not discuss with you at the moment. Returning to the charity which
should have received and for all I know did receive £1,000,
Mr C B Patel, Asian Voice, and Gujarat Samachar,
are two magazines?
(Mr Zaiwalla) One is the Gujarati language and Asian
Voice is in the English language.
744. Is that Mr C B Patel that we may be able
to find help from?
(Mr Zaiwalla) Maybe.
745. Do you recall discussing with Mr Milne
your relationship with Mr Vaz at any time?
(Mr Zaiwalla) Mr Milne would have known that Mr Vaz
and I were friends. That is about all, but I would not discuss
any relationship with Mr Milne. Mr Milne was the manager of my
practice from 1994 to March 1998, when he was dismissed.
746. Before you moved offices in about 1994,
how many times would you guess Mr Vaz might have come to your
offices?
(Mr Zaiwalla) About twice or three times a year.
747. For events rather than one to ones?
(Mr Zaiwalla) Yes. In the Law Society old Council
Room. On a couple of occasions I had organised lunch for about
20 people and I would normally have clients, potential clients,
a visiting VIP and one or two Members of Parliament on a rotating
basis. I would have those events quite frequently as an interaction
between various sectors.
748. After you moved offices until Keith Vaz
became minister, would the same pattern have—?
(Mr Zaiwalla) It became much less. Once Keith became
more popular, he did not need my support as much as before.
749. Your support in meeting people?
(Mr Zaiwalla) He would meet other people through me.
I have always believed in ensuring interaction. My events have
always been multicultural. For example, the composition of my
firm has always been to ensure that there is no reverse discrimination,
so it has always been well balanced.
750. Why would he have wanted to meet other
people? Would this help his work as a Member of Parliament or
as a leading British Asian politician?
(Mr Zaiwalla) That is very difficult to answer. Everybody
likes to meet nice people. It is a human trait.
751. I want to be absolutely certain that, in
your view, Keith Vaz knew that the £1,000 was going in cash
to a charity because he had known of the event.
(Mr Zaiwalla) Absolutely.
752. He knew the payment had been made in cash.
You made it in cash and he suggested that rather than these two
blokes?
(Mr Zaiwalla) He never suggested that.
753. They said they would prefer it in cash.
(Mr Zaiwalla) Yes.
754. He said they would come round for payment
and whether it was a cheque or cash was not an issue you discussed
with him?
(Mr Zaiwalla) He complained that I had not made the
payment. Very often, payment depends on cash flow.
Shona McIsaac
755. This particular occasion, these two people
came to your office. This was on Mr Vaz's recommendation?
(Mr Zaiwalla) Mr Vaz told me that I had not paid and
would I pay the £1,000 for the charity. The representatives
of the charity would come and collect it.
756. We are not clear whether it was a charity
or an appeal fund.
(Mr Zaiwalla) That is right.
757. These people would have been known to Mr
Vaz because he would have nominated them to come to your office?
(Mr Zaiwalla) I am unable to answer that because I
cannot say whether Mr Vaz knew them or not.
758. You did not do any double checks on their
identity when they came to your office?
(Mr Zaiwalla) No.
759. You simply gave them the cash?
(Mr Zaiwalla) Yes. It was my money and I was quite
prepared. I was going to give £1,000. Mr Vaz said that the
charity would send representatives to me. I discharged my obligation
and that is it.
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