HC Deb 24 May 1993 vol 225 cc564-5
30. Mr. Denham

To ask the Attorney-General what is the role of his Department in respect of securing the return of persons on hail who have absconded overseas.

The Attorney-General (Sir Nicholas Lyell)

Provided that the absconder is in a country with which the United Kingdom has an extradition treaty, the prosecution authority prepares an application for extradition, where appropriate, which is then conveyed to the relevant Government.

Mr. Denham

Is the Minister aware of the widespread embarrassment and incredulity felt at the sight of the Lord Chancellor creeping across the border into north Cyprus to beg for the return to British justice of Asil Nadir, a major financier of the Tory party'? Does the Minister feel that it might be more appropriate for the Government's Law Officers to spend their time investigating matters and acting within their remit—for example, investigating the possibility of illegal donations to the Tory party and ensuring that a watch is kept on small Dorset airfields so that other dubious financiers thinking of jumping ship at a difficult time for the country are unable to flee British justice?

The Attorney-General

The principal absconder in this case seems to be the hon. Gentleman, who has absconded a long way from the question.

Mr. John Marshall

Will my right hon. and learned Friend confirm that, in the case of Asil Nadir, the Serious Fraud Office frequently objected to bail, but the judges decided to grant it against those objections? Will he also confirm that no donations were made to the Conservative party by the late Robert Maxwell?

The Attorney-General

On the portion of the question relevant to me, I can confirm that the Serious Fraud Office initially opposed bail. Thereafter, questions of bail were a matter for the court.

Mr. Fraser

Members of both Front Benches must want Asil Nadir back to stand his trial. Was it on the right hon. and learned Gentleman's advice as Attorney-General or on the advice of the famous advisers in the Foreign Office that the Lord Chancellor—the head of the judicial service —went as a sort of Mediterranean bounty hunter to Rauf Denktash to try to secure the return of Asil Nadir, which seems a bizarre mission for a judge? Is not the right course of action to make it clear to the administration in northern Cyprus that it does nothing to help its authority or credibility if it allows northern Cyprus to be a refuge for bail bandits?

The Attorney-General

I am afraid that I cannot accept most of the premises on which the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question was based. But I certainly agree that it is the desire of hon. Members on both sides of the House that those who are accused and are to stand trial in the United Kingdom should appear at their trial so that justice may be done.

Mr. Stephen

Is it right that the United Kindom refused to extradite a wanted person to northern Cyprus on the ground that there is no extradition treaty between the two countries? Is not the right way to proceed to enter into an extradition treaty with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus so that the whole matter may be put on a proper legal basis?

The Attorney-General

My hon. Friend forgets that we do not recognise the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.