Norman Lamb calls for John Healey MP to make a statement to Parliament regarding Customs

4.24.27pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 13th Oct 2004

David Varney, executive chairman of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, today confirmed that Sir Richard Broadbent, Chairman of Customs and Excise from 2000 to 2003, is under police investigation over the London City Bond case.

As reported by The Guardian newspaper recently, two senior customs officials have already been suspended on full pay pending investigation into allegations that they had lied in court, withheld crucial evidence and misled judges over the role of warehouse owner and registered customs informant, Alfred Allington.*

Norman Lamb said this afternoon, "I wrote to John Healey in August asking him to explain why customs did not inform him of Alfred Allington's status as a named registered informant before he made a statement about the case to Parliament in July 2003. Mr Healey has declined to answer my questions."

"The evidence about Mr Allington's status as informant was crucial to the case", Mr Lamb added. "Because the evidence was not passed to John Healey in time, his statement to Parliament was misleading and the Butterfield Review was incomplete."

"This is a very serious matter and threatens to undermine the integrity of HM Customs", Mr Lamb commented today. "The news that Sir Richard Broadbent is now also under investigation can only raise more concerns about what went on in the London City Bond case."

"I call on John Healey to now make a full statement to Parliament regarding Alfred Allington, the Butterfield Review and London City Bond."

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*"Customs suspends two leading officials: Whistleblower claim as Yard inquiry identifies 20 officers" - The Guardian, 30 September 2004