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05/02/2008
Government Officials Knew Of MP's Bugging
Jack Straw has been accused of losing control of his department after it emerged that Government officials were alerted to the bugging of Labour MP Sadiq Khan months ago.
The Conservatives claimed that they brought the matter to the attention of Number 10 in December but the Justice Secretary has said that the first he heard of the matter was at the weekend.
On Sunday Mr Khan, a government whip, said he had no idea he might have been bugged and was pleased Mr Straw had announced a swift inquiry.
Police are believed to have bugged conversations between Khan and his friend and constituent Babar Ahmad in Woodhill Prison during 2005 and 2006. At one point, the pair discussed a civil action the inmate was bringing against the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Sir Ian Blair, for an alleged assault by Scotland Yard officers, it was claimed yesterday.
The conversations between the men were monitored at the request of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism branch.
Ahmad is currently awaiting extradition to the US accused there of running websites supporting the Taleban and Chechen terrorists.
Police are entitled to monitor prisoners' communications but such operations must first be approved by the surveillance commissioner who considers them on a case-by-case basis.
However, a code known as the Wilson Doctrine forbids the covert recording of conversations between MPs and their constituents.
Ahmad's solicitor, Fiona Murphy, has written to the prison service saying that the conversation had apparently "been covertly recorded in contravention of the Wilson doctrine".
Scotland Yard refused to answer questions on the matter yesterday.
(GC)
The Conservatives claimed that they brought the matter to the attention of Number 10 in December but the Justice Secretary has said that the first he heard of the matter was at the weekend.
On Sunday Mr Khan, a government whip, said he had no idea he might have been bugged and was pleased Mr Straw had announced a swift inquiry.
Police are believed to have bugged conversations between Khan and his friend and constituent Babar Ahmad in Woodhill Prison during 2005 and 2006. At one point, the pair discussed a civil action the inmate was bringing against the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Sir Ian Blair, for an alleged assault by Scotland Yard officers, it was claimed yesterday.
The conversations between the men were monitored at the request of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism branch.
Ahmad is currently awaiting extradition to the US accused there of running websites supporting the Taleban and Chechen terrorists.
Police are entitled to monitor prisoners' communications but such operations must first be approved by the surveillance commissioner who considers them on a case-by-case basis.
However, a code known as the Wilson Doctrine forbids the covert recording of conversations between MPs and their constituents.
Ahmad's solicitor, Fiona Murphy, has written to the prison service saying that the conversation had apparently "been covertly recorded in contravention of the Wilson doctrine".
Scotland Yard refused to answer questions on the matter yesterday.
(GC)
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