§ Mr. Sedgemoreasked the Attorney-General (1) when the Director of Public Prosecutions first received representations concerning the affairs of the Peter Cameron Webb syndicate at Lloyds;
362W(2) if he will make a statement on progress in pursuing the case of the Peter Cameron Webb syndicate;
(3) whether any steps have been taken to seek to extradite Peter Cameron Webb; and if he will make a statement;
(4) whether any steps have been taken to seek to extradite T. Dixon, late of Peter Cameron Webb, and if he will make a statement;
(5) if the Director of Public Prosecutions has recommended that any charges should be brought against any person or any action should be taken against any person in respect of the Lloyds and Peter Cameron Webb papers before him; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI take references in the questions to the Lloyds case to refer to investigations concerning the affairs of the PCW syndicate and Alexander Howden. These matters were first referred to the director in 1982. Two separate but related investigations are being conducted under the auspices of a fraud investigation group formed for that purpose. It comprises police officers, members of the director's professional staff, accountants and very experienced specialist members of the bar. Despite the considerable financial and manpower resources devoted to the case serious delay has been imposed upon the progress of these investigations by the necessity of securing, in a form admissible in any criminal proceedings in England, evidence which hitherto has only been available from witnesses located within the jurisdiction of a foreign state. The availability of such evidence has resulted in insufficient evidence being available to justify certain criminal proceedings or an application for extradition of any person on certain grounds. No power exists whereby investigators in this country may compel the productiin of such evidence here. Investigators accordingly depend in such cases upon the assistance of the relevant foreign authorities, who themselves—however much they may wish to assist—are bound by their municipal rules relating to the granting of immunity from civil suits brought within their own jurisdiction, for example for breach of confidentiality. Nevertheless, in the present cases a way is vigorously being sought to overcome the problems I have mentioned connected with securing evidence within a foreign jurisdiction. The fraud investigation group is hopeful that such a way will be found, and it shares my own strong desire that it shall be. I plan next to discuss these investigations with the fraud investigation group on 27 November. Criminal proceedings will certainly be instituted if and so soon as evidence justifying them becomes available.