HC Deb 14 February 2003 vol 400 c175W
Harry Cohen

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reassess with a view to publication, the parts of the Official Report into the affairs of BCCI that were excluded from public disclosure, with particular reference to information linking BCCI with organisations now known to conduct terrorism. [97082]

Ruth Kelly

Paragraph 2.538 of the Bingham Inquiry's report (Inquiry into the Supervision of The Bank of Credit and Commerce International, House of Commons Paper 198, 22 October 1992) says

Having made detailed enquiry of all the intelligence agencies, the Inquiry has found no evidence to suggest that the management of BCCI at any level above that of branch manager knowingly held or handled accounts of the Abu Nidal organisation or its front companies or any other terrorist organisation at any time.

We have no plans to publish further material from the Bingham Inquiry.

Harry Cohen

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has had access to(a) all intelligence reports relevant to the official report on BCCI and (b) those intelligence reports that were supplementary to the BCCI report at around the time of its official publication; whether he has availed himself of that access; and if he will make a statement. [98160]

Ruth Kelly

It would not be appropriate to provide this information about access to intelligence material, as provided for under exemption 1(a) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

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