Senator Pinochet (Legal Fees) (Hansard, 20 November 2000)

§ Mr. Straw

The total cost to public funds of the legal fees concerning Senator Pinochet was £2,204,595.60. The breakdown is as follows:

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Costs incurred by the Home Office

Treasury Solicitor"s fees £63,150¹

Disbursements (mainly Counsels" fees) £284,315¹

Costs of the Kingdom of Belgium and Amnesty International £150,725

¹Of these two amounts £28,500 was recovered from Senator Pinochet under costs orders made against Senator Pinochet by the High Court.

Costs incurred by the Crown Prosecution Service

Counsels" fees £425,077

Costs incurred by the Lord Chancellor"s Department

The Law Lords ordered that Senator Pinochet's costs should be met from central funds for the first two hearings before the House of Lords in the unusual circumstances of the case. The costs paid from central funds were as follows:

for the first hearing in the House of Lords £270,935.89; and

for the application to set aside the judgment following the first hearing in the House of Lords £151,361.30.

The costs of those Divisional Court hearings in which Senator Pinochet was successful or which did not proceed, were also ordered to be paid from central funds. The cost of Divisional Court hearings was £787,477.86.

All these costs were ordered to be paid under Section 16 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, and they fall to be paid out of the Lord Chancellor"s Department"s portion of central funds. The total is £1,209,775.05.

Senator Pinochet received no legal aid funding in any of the proceedings against him.

Treasury Solicitor"s Fees

Amicus Curiae (costs and disbursements including Counsel"s fees) £71,029

Other costs and disbursements £29,024.76 All these figures include Value Added Tax where appropriate.

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The figures are for legal fees only. They do not include other costs—for example, the medical examination of 5 January 2000 and staff costs. I will inform the House of these costs once they have been finalised.