Annex 152
Letter to Finers Stephens Innocent, Solicitors,
from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
Thank you for your letter of 26 June and statement
from Mr Kapasi. I am very sorry to hear of your bereavement and
offer you my condolences. I quite understand the delay in these
circumstances.
As I informed Mr Kapasi this morning during
our telephone conversation, my sole purpose in inviting him to
see me is to offer him the opportunity to comment on information
which I have obtained which appears to be at variance with his
account and which he has now confirmed in his statement. Before
I take a view on the information with which I have been provided,
I feel it fair to offer Mr Kapasi a meeting with me to discuss
this material.
You raise in your letter to me, and to the Chairman,
concerns about whether I have had past "dealings" with
Sir Peter Soulsby. I have not. It is on the public record that
I am a member of the Audit Commission, as is Sir Peter Soulsby,
and I have met him in that capacity only.
The facts which relate to this enquiry are as
follows. When I interviewed another witnesses to this enquiry
she informed me that she believed that Sir Peter Soulsby had information
on matters which might relate to this enquiry. I invited Sir Peter
to see me and interviewed him (I have a taped record). He answered
my questions and informed me, at the time, of his long-time political
differences with Mr Vaz, so that I could assess his evidence in
proper context. Sir Peter Soulsby has made no complaints against
Mr Vaz or Mr Kapasi. In answer to my questions Sir Peter told
me of a conversation he had had with Mr Kapasi and informed me
of the record he had made at the time (1994). Leicester City Council
provided me with a copy of that record. I informed Mr Kapasi of
these events to allow him to comment. I also asked him to give
me information about the conversation reported in the Sunday
Times which the Sunday Times said they had taped. The
Sunday Times have now provided me, at my request, with
a copy of the transcript.
May I repeat that I am most willing to see Mr
Kapasi, otherwise I shall conclude my report presenting the evidence
I have obtained to the Standards and Privileges Committee. Mr
Kapasi is aware that the Committee may decide to publish evidence
which has been provided to me.
27 June 2000
| 
