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Phone hacking: CPS may bring corporate charges against Murdoch publisher Phone hacking: CPS may bring corporate charges against Murdoch publisher
(35 minutes later)
The Crown Prosecution Service is considering bringing corporate charges against Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper publisher over phone hacking, it has emerged. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is considering bringing corporate charges against Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper publisher over phone hacking, it has emerged.
The Metropolitan police handed over a file of evidence on News International – now renamed News UK – to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration after an investigation that stretches back to 2011, when the News of the World was closed at the height of the scandal. The Metropolitan police handed over a file of evidence on News International – now renamed News UK – to the CPS for consideration after an investigation that stretches back to 2011, when the News of the World was closed at the height of the scandal.
“We have received a full file of evidence for consideration of corporate liability charges relating to the Operation Weeting phone-hacking investigation,” a spokeswoman confirmed.“We have received a full file of evidence for consideration of corporate liability charges relating to the Operation Weeting phone-hacking investigation,” a spokeswoman confirmed.
The file was transferred on 23 July and reignites the controversy for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, News UK’s parent company, which believed it had been through the worst and come out the other side after an eight-month trial of former News of the World journalists that concluded in June 2014.The file was transferred on 23 July and reignites the controversy for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, News UK’s parent company, which believed it had been through the worst and come out the other side after an eight-month trial of former News of the World journalists that concluded in June 2014.
It is believed it was poised to announced that News International’s former chief executive, Rebekah Brooks, who was cleared of all charges, was to return to News Corp.It is believed it was poised to announced that News International’s former chief executive, Rebekah Brooks, who was cleared of all charges, was to return to News Corp.
The decision comes 19 months after the US department of justice told Murdoch’s company and it would not face charges in the US. The decision comes 19 months after the US department of justice told Murdoch’s company it would not face charges in the US.
The Metropolitan police confirmed on Friday: “On 23 July following an investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World, detectives from Op Weeting submitted a file to the CPS for their consideration.”The Metropolitan police confirmed on Friday: “On 23 July following an investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World, detectives from Op Weeting submitted a file to the CPS for their consideration.”
More details soon ... The CPS did not specify what under what law it would consider charges.
In 2012, the Met’s then head of the Weeting investigation, Sue Akers, sent a letter to Lord Grabiner, the chairman of News Corp’s management standards committee, set up in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal to investigate alleged illegal practices at News International, advising him that there was a possibility corporate charges could be brought against Murdoch’s companies.
“It does not surprise me that a file has been sent, just that it has taken so long. Decisions that were taken very high up have yet to be analysed. Ultimately people have to look at the corporate culture, the directors and the lawyers, not just the people at the coalface,” said Mark Lewis, a partner in Seddons law film, who represented many of the phone-hacking victims in the civil courts.
Brooks, a former News of the World editor, was found not guilty of hacking and all related charges in June 2014. Also cleared was the former managing editor of the News of the World Stuart Kuttner.
Brooks’ deputy Andy Coulson, who went on to become editor of the paper, was found guilty after admitting to knowledge of hacking of the former home secretary David Blunkett’s phone.
Three other former newsdesk executives, Greg Miskiw, Neville Thurlbeck and James Weatherup, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to hack phones as did the contractor Glenn Mulcaire.
At a later point, a fourth newsdesk executive Ian Edmondson also pleaded guilty.