Select Committee on Standards and Privileges Third Report


Annex 6

Telephone interview between Mr David Leppard, The Sunday Times, and Mr Jaffer Kapasi, 12 May 2000

  Transcript of telephone interview of Jaffer Kapasi by David Leppard, 12 May 2000. Call made from D Leppard's telephone at Sunday Times to Mr Kapasi's mobile number. Transcript prepared by Gareth Walsh, Insight. This is the second conversation between The Sunday Times and Kapasi

  (A)  "DL: Hello, is that Mr Kapasi?

  JK:  Yes it is.

  DL:  Hello, its David Leppard here of The Sunday Times sir.

  JK:  Oh, hello.

  DL:  Hi. I just wanted to check one point with you, if that's alright. I'm sorry to trouble you. You know those three cheques you paid to Mr Vaz, yes?

  JK:  Yes.

  DL:  Did you give them to him in the . . . where did you give them to him? Where were you when you gave him the cheques? Did you post them to him, or did you give them to him in person.

  JK:  I posted them to him.

  DL:  You posted them to him. I see. Because I thought you said yesterday—and I couldn't remember—that you'd actually given them to him in person.

  JK:  I think it happened about three times. I remember now. I'm trying to remember now. I think once I think it was posted . . .

  DL:  Once it was posted . . .

  JK:  I think I may have given it to him personally.

  DL:  Can you remember where? Was that in the town hall?

  JK:  No, no . . . no.

  DL:   . . . in your office?

  JK:  No, no . . . sorry. Some public function somewhere.

  DL:  At a public function. Right. And the two cheques were made to him personally, and one was to the charity, yes?

  JK:  That's right.

  DL:  And two of the cheques were drawn on your own personal account, and one from Dawoodi, yes?

  JK:  Yes, yes.

  DL:  That's correct. Okay. Are you . . .

  JK:  Are you going to do a story on this . . . or . . . ?"

  (B)"  DL:  Well, I mean the point is sir that you are involved. That's the problem. Because there are other letters which mention your name. So . . . and we know about those letters, so we can't not report that because the suggest . . . the allegation is a claim.

  The fact is that you gave Mr Vaz £1,500 . . . about £1,500.

  JK:  Well, I would deny that anyway, but there we are . . .

  DL:  You can't deny it because you told it to us.

  JK:  Well . . .

  DL:  Why would you deny that?

  JK:  Because I don't want to get involved. That's why.

  DL:  Right, but it won't do you any good to deny it because I mean it's a fact isn't it.

  JK:  Well . . . [laughs] . . . that's it. I mean he's given me the receipts and so on.

  DL:  He's given you the receipts, so you can't deny it.

  JK:  Well, that's up to him . . . I trusted you to respect that.

  DL:  Well no. The truth is the truth—that's the problem . . . hello? [call ends]".


 
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