Lord Chelwoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many of the 17 men alleged by a researcher working for the United States Justice Department to be war criminals were alive when the Government first received this information; and how many cases having prima facie criminal records are being investigated.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)A list of 17 alleged war criminals was provided to the Government by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. As my right honourable friend the Home Secretary indicated, when he announced the setting up of the war crimes inquiry on 8th February 1988 to examine these and other allegations, only 10 of the 17 were believed to be alive at that time. Moreover, the material provided by the centre was not considered to be sufficient in itself to support criminal prosecutions in this country, even if the courts had jurisdiction over such offences. It is for the inquiry to decide which cases to investigate further in order to advise the Government on whether the law should be amended to permit prosecutions.