§ 32. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General why, in view of the report on the Pinnock Finance Company crash and theprima-facieevidence submitted therein of alleged fraud and various other illegalities, the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided to take no action; and whether he will make a statement.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe report by the Board of Trade Inspectors was received by the Director of Public Prosecutions in May, 1970. After discussion with me, the Director decided in June, 1970, that, having regard to the nature of the available evidence, police inquiries would not be warranted at this stage.
§ Mr. LewisWhy, in view of the evidence in that report, did the Director of Public Prosecutions issue a statement which in effect gave notice to one of the people mentioned in the report, who was then in residence in Australia and could have been extradited, so that he could flee to a country with which we had no extradition arrangements? Surely that was warning him to get away, which he has now done?
§ The Attorney-GeneralI have no knowledge of the person to whom the hon. Gentleman referred. The whereabouts of the principal concerned is unknown, and has been unknown since 1967. There have been various rumours of his whereabouts, but they have not been substantiated, and the police have no knowledge of where he is now.