§ Mr. Alex Carlileasked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement concerning the prosecution of Mr. Alan Lowther under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act.
§ The Attorney-GeneralAlan Lowther was a member of a working group within the Home Office tasked to assist members of the Metropolitan police fraud squad investigating alleged irregularities in contractual dealings between the Directorate of Industries and Farms and a supplier. He was alleged to have communicated to one of those whom he believed to be under investigation, and contrary to express instructions, parts of a report identifying transactions which were to be the subject of that investigation.
I considered that proceedings were appropriate and granted my consent. However, evidence given at the 438W committal indicated that the information would have been of less assistance to the recipient than it first appeared to be. I therefore decided that it would not be in the public interest for the prosecution to proceed further. This was not a case which involved national security but a possible interference into a criminal investigation.