UK to charge Coulson, Brooks over illegal payments

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - British prosecutors said on Tuesday they would charge Prime Minister David Cameron's ex-media chief and Rupert Murdoch's British former newspaper boss with making payments to public officials in the latest charges to stem from a tabloid scandal.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/20/us-britain-hacking-idUSBRE8AJ0IO20121120

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More here : http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2012/nov/20/operation-elveden-charges-live-updates

[oldironside]

1. This is not a time for celebration.

But it will be as soon as they are convicted.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Have you come across any references

to whom payments are alleged to have been made ? Its seems odd they would raise charges against the alleged givers and not the receivers.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. A named MoD employee, also charged, for Brooks; unknown police for Coulson

10.41am GMT
The full charge in relation to Brooks, Kay and Jordan-Barber

Charge 1

Bettina Jordan-Barber, John Kay and Rebekah Brooks, between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2012, conspired together, and with others, to commit misconduct in public office.

Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977

10.40am GMT
The full charges in relation to Coulson and Goodman

Charge 1

Clive Goodman and Andrew Coulson, between 31 August 2002 and 31 January 2003, conspired together and with a person or persons unknown to commit misconduct in public office.

Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977

Charge 2

Clive Goodman and Andrew Coulson, between 31 January 2005 and 3 June 2005, conspired together and with a person or persons unknown to commit misconduct in public office.

Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2012/nov/20/operation-elveden-charges-live-updates#block-50ab5e6e95cb1a2f3966808c

Kay is The Sun's chief reporter; Jordan-Barber the MoD employee.

Who is Jordan-Barber?

Bettina Jordan-Barber, who is alleged to have received £100,000 for information relating to stories which appeared in the Sun over seven years, is a deputy team leader and strategy officer at the MoD in London, according to her profile on LinkedIn.

Before being appointed to this position in 2010 she had a key role in the MoD’s operations in Aghanistan where she was an Afghanistan visits strategy officer for two years.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2012/nov/20/operation-elveden-charges-live-updates#block-50ab694cb579fe6efc0080b1

[LeftishBrit]

3. Especially if they thoroughly embarrass Cameron in the process.

[T_i_B]

5. Move along, nothing to see here...

...at least that's what the tabloid and RW press would rather we all did with regard to the phone hacking scandal.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Did they pay US military as well?

But The Daily Beast has learned that The Sun may have made another potentially corrupt payment, to a U.S. official on American soil.

On Friday, May 20, 2005, two Murdoch-owned tabloids, The Sun and the New York Post, ran front-page pictures of Saddam Hussein in his underwear, and inside the papers, more photos of the former Iraqi leader in U.S. captivity. According to Fox News, the Multinational Forces spokeswoman in Baghdad said the images could have been taken between January and April 2004, “based on the background of the photos and appearance of him.” Given the context of the Abu Ghraib revelations and ongoing, violent insurgency in Iraq at the time, multiple sources reported that President George W. Bush was upset about the leak. “There will be a thorough investigation into this instance,” deputy White House spokesman Trent Duffy told The New York Times, “[The president] wants to get to the bottom of it immediately.”

No investigation has ever found the source of the leaked pictures, but buried in the contemporary reports is a glaring admission. The Sun’s then-managing editor, Graham Dudman, told the Associated Press that his newspaper paid “a small sum” for the photos. Dudman would not elaborate “except to say it was more than 500 British pounds, which is about $900.”

Sources close to the story have told The Daily Beast that the payment was significantly greater, and was made to a U.S. official on American soil. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard detectives arrested Dudman in January of this year on suspicion of making corrupt payments involving British officials. He has yet to be charged with any criminal offense in the U.K.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/18/did-news-corp-illegally-purchase-saddam-hussein-photos-from-u-s-officials.html

[dipsydoodle]

7. Guardian reported on subject Feb this year.

No apparent FBI action to date.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Kick (nt)