§ Lord Spensasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the letter from Mrs. J. D. Olsen of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) on 13 January to 77WA Mr. W. B. Willott of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) requesting the DTI not to appeal the judgment of the Licensed Dealers Tribunal in the matter of TWH Management Limited "as there is a real potential disadvantage if it were to fail" was disclosed under the "disclosure" undertakings given to the defendants in November 1996 in the second appeal from the first Guinness trial as required by the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division; and, if not, given the all-embracing nature of the SFO's undertakings to the Court of Appeal, why not. [HL2288]
§ The Solicitor-General (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)The Attorney-General exercises statutory superintendence over the Director of the Serious Fraud Office in the discharge of her functions. That superintendence does not extend to operational decisions taken about the disclosure of individual documents by the prosecution in any given case. The noble Lord, if he wishes to pursue this matter, should seek the assistance of the Director of the Serious Fraud Office.