Annex v13
File note by the Parliamentary Commissioner
for Standards
KEITH
VAZ
MP
10 NOVEMBER
2001
TELEPHONE
CALL
FROM
MS
COKER
OF
COKER
VIS
SOLICITORS
Ms Coker said she has only returned to the country
on 9 November 2001 but had received a message from her secretary
to telephone me urgently. I thanked her for telephoning me at
the weekend. I explained that I was anxious that my inquiry into
complaints against a Member of Parliament was being delayed. She
apologised for the time it has taken for her send me a letter.
She undertook to contact Mrs Matin on Monday and respond to my
letter urgently. She said this might take some time as she would
have to ask Mrs Matin to come into her office. I said I was somewhat
surprised by this delay as I felt that the questions that I had
asked Mrs Matin were ones to which she would know the answer directly.
I explained to Ms Coker that I was not looking into
any matter concerning Mrs Matin. For example her immigration status
was not a matter for me. I said my only concern was whether an
allegation made against Mr Vaz was correct or not.
I said to Ms Coker that her colleague had informed
me that some papers were awaited in her practice from Bindmans
but had not yet been received. Ms Coker responded that those papers
were not relevant as they were only about Mrs Matin's immigration
issues.
I thanked Ms Coker for telephoning me and she said
that if Mrs Matin came to see her on Monday she might have a telephone
conversation with me with Mrs Matin in the office so that she
could be sure that she was replying fully to my questions.
I thanked her for the telephone call and said I look
forward to receiving a reply to my questions.
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