Bcci And The Serious Fraud Office

EDM number 614 in 1992-93, proposed by Brian Sedgemore on 21/10/1992.

That this House notes that E. W. Staple of the Serious Fraud Office in a letter dated 20th October to the honourable Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch says that its enquiry into allegations of corruption concerning Bank of England employees has been concluded and that the enquiry found no evidence to substantiate claims by Mr X; notes that this statement, that the Serious Fraud Office enquiry is over, flatly contradicts what D. C. I. Tony Thomas from that office told the honourable Member at a meeting at the House of Commons, also on 20th October, which was called by D. C. I. Thomas; notes that D. C. I. Thomas denied an assertion by the honourable Member that the enquiry was over; notes that D. C. I. Thomas said that Mr X had withdrawn his co-operation and he would welcome any help to get it back; notes that D. C. I. Thomas, when asked if the Serious Fraud Office had questioned a witness in America, replied that they had someone there now who was trying to speak to the witness; and believes that for political reasons related to the imminent publication of the Bingham Report the enquiry may have been prematurely wound up.

This motion has been signed by a total of 40 MPs.