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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