Annex 7
Facsimile to Mr Antony Barnett, Public
Affairs Editor, The Observer,
from Mr Keith Bennett
With regard to your enquiries raised with me today,
I have the following questions to put to you:
1) What is the date of the "report"
you are referring to?
2) On what date did you receive a copy of the
"report" and who passed it to you?
3) If you have not received a copy of the "report"
who gave you the information with regard to its alleged contents?
4) What are the date, time and place that Mr
Sackville made his allegation?
5) What evidence is there to support the allegation?
6) What is the page number in the "report"
that relates to Mr Sackville's allegation?
7) Does any such allegation refer in any way
to any complaints made by The Observer?
8) Is there any connection between The Observer
and the allegations made by Mr Sackville?
9) What contact have you or anyone connected
with The Observer had with either the Committee on Standards and
Privileges or the Parliamentary Commissioner with regard to this
matter?
As I shall be going out to lunch at 1.00 pm, I would
be grateful to receive your answers by 12.30 before responding
to your enquiry.
21 December 2001
Facsimile to Mr Keith Bennett
from Mr Antony Barnett, Public Affairs
Editor, The Observer
With regard to your enquiries relating to my enquiries.
The report I am referring to is the second investigation
by the parliamentary commissioner into allegations against Keith
Vaz, which last week passed to the Standards and Privileges Committee.
I have no idea what was the date, time and place
that Mr Sackville made his allegations, all I know is that he
has made these allegations and they are in the report.
However I have not seen the report and there is no
connection between The Observer and the allegations made by Mr
Sackville. As you know, we have been interested in the affairs
of Nadhmi Auchi for some time and as I understand it, Mr Sackville
was once a director of Mr Auchi's company.
I am not willing to divulge the source of the story,
but rest assured the commissioner has steadfastly refused to talk
to me about the contents of the report.
Just to put the questions clearly:
1. How does Mr Vaz respond to allegations from
Tom Sackville that Mr Vaz received payments from Mr Auchi.
2. Has Mr Vaz—or an associated party—ever
received payments of any kind from Mr Auchi?
3. Has Mr Vaz got any comments to make about
Filkin's second report?
4. How does Mr Vaz respond to claims that he
was one of the key culprits of the whispering campaign to oust
Filkin?
21 December 200l
Facsimile to Mr Antony Barnett, Public
Affairs Editor, The Observer,
from Mr Keith Bennett
Thank you for your fax and message.
It is clear from what you say that you have neither
seen the draft "report" nor do you have any evidence
to substantiate any allegations to which you refer.
Furthermore, it is clear that you have been in
contact with Mrs Filkin, and in view of her response to you, it
is also clear that any comment would be inappropriate.
As you know, the publication of any information other
than as agreed by Parliament itself is not covered by parliamentary
privilege.
21 December 2001
| 
