Scott asked to quiz City figures
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.LORD Justice Scott is facing renewed calls from the business community to take evidence from City figures and industrialists as part of his investigation into the arms-to- Iraq scandal.
The Scott inquiry, which began more than a year ago, has yet to hear any evidence in public from the people who were involved in doing business with Iraq in the 1980s. Some businessmen involved in the arms trade want to be called by the inquiry to reveal what they know of the Government's role in selling weapons to Saddam Hussein.
Gerald James, former chairman of Astra and one of the first to tip the Government off about the Iraqi supergun, said: 'If Scott looked at how the deals were financed, he would get far more of the story.'
As demands to spread the net grew - so far witnesses to the inquiry have been either ministers or civil servants - the Scott inquiry team said in a statement: 'As soon as there is an indication that somebody can help us in some structured way, we will not hesitate to invite them before us. The inquiry has received a certain amount of evidence relating to exports of munitions to Iraq that has been, and is being, followed up.'
There are also suggestions that the inquiry should look more deeply into the background of the giant Al- Yamamah defence deal between the British Government and Saudi Arabia, following a parliamentary disclosure that the deal has 'Crown Status'. This means that there is no obligation for the Saudis to give details of the end users of the defence equipment. Scott has been told that weapons may have been diverted to Iraq via Saudi Arabia.
(Photograph omitted)
Scott free, page 9
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments