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The former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has lodged a renewed complaint with British authorities alleging that Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group obstructed justice, following discussions with detectives tied to the initial phone-hacking investigation.
In his commentary for the Guardian, Brown revealed that one of the detectives informed him there appears to be “significant evidence” indicating that News Group Newspapers (NGN) had erased millions of emails, which could have been an attempt to undermine justice.
Brown’s article mentions that the former officers expressed that had they understood the context behind the email deletions, they would have sought additional actions. One detective remarked, “Had we known this in 2011, our investigation would have proceeded differently, including possible arrests.”
“Today, I am filing a criminal complaint with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), asserting that I, along with others, have been victims of NGN’s attempts to obstruct justice,” Brown stated. “This is not a claim made casually. It is informed by recent evidence that has come to light” as well as the statements provided by senior officers involved in the original inquiry into unlawful news-gathering, who noted they were misled.
NGN has vehemently denied all allegations concerning the destruction of evidence, asserting that a 2015 Crown Prosecution Service investigation found no evidence supporting claims that email deletions were intended to obstruct justice.
Earlier this year, NGN issued an apology to Prince Harry for phone hacking by journalists at its tabloid, the News of the World, and for the serious intrusions by the Sun from 1996 to 2011 into his private affairs, including unlawful actions by private investigators associated with the Sun.
This apology was part of a settlement reached in response to the litigation initiated by Prince Harry and Tom Watson, the former Labour deputy leader.
Brown emphasized that this settlement does not signify the end of inquiries into media corruption; instead, it represents the beginning of renewed scrutiny.
His appeal to the Metropolitan Police follows claims made by former detectives in a document submitted to the high court in London, which supports the ongoing phone-hacking litigation pursued by Harry and Watson.
The legal arguments on both sides were not made public at that time, and the allegations have yet to be evaluated in court due to the settlement.
NGN has not admitted to the accusations regarding the illegal destruction of evidence, which the company continues to contest. They argue that had the case proceeded to trial, they could have successfully disproven such allegations.
In his piece for the Guardian, Brown accuses Will Lewis, now CEO of the Washington Post but previously a senior executive at NGN, of trying to frame him and Watson.
Brown alleges a fabricated claim against them was utilized to justify the deletion of emails pertinent to Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan Police investigation initiated in 2011 into phone-hacking activities.
This accusation is based on documents revealed during civil proceedings last year, which included a record from a meeting on July 8, 2011, where Lewis claimed the company was alerted about a supposed scheme by Brown and Watson to acquire emails from Rebekah Brooks, the then-CEO of News International, through intermediary methods. At that time, Lewis served as the company’s general manager.
Brown mentions that an investigating officer later claimed that NGN “falsely implicated Gordon Brown. Had I known this, I would have made arrests for obstruction of justice.”
NGN issued an apology to Watson concerning the alleged plot as part of the settlement, acknowledging that the information was inaccurate. Nevertheless, the company maintains that they believed the threat was legitimate at the time and would have proven this in court. They planned to showcase a 2011 email from Brooks, which had not been made public previously, expressing concern over the internal security of the company’s IT systems.
Lewis has consistently denied any wrongdoing but did not provide comments when contacted by the Guardian.
In their defense, NGN firmly refutes any allegations of a cover-up, asserting that there is a lack of contemporaneous evidence supporting the claimants’ case. They insist that their testimonies would substantiate their position, describing the statements from former officers as a selective interpretation of existing documents.
NGN contended that the deletion of emails was “long in the planning, for sound commercial, IT, and practical reasons,” and that claims made by Harry and Watson relied on “unreasonable interpretations from a partial account of the facts.”
The spokesperson for NGN highlighted that the company provided incriminating material to the police and promptly informed them about measures taken regarding its historical email archives and the preservation of relevant evidence.
According to NGN, they worked with specialist IT police officers for months to reconstruct their digital records.
“Allegations regarding email deletion were included in the prosecution case during the criminal trial in 2013/14,” they stated. “The investigation into News International wrapped up in 2015, almost a decade ago, corroborated by a comprehensive statement from the CPS that concluded there was no evidence warranting further action.”
Brown has called for the police to request a range of court documents submitted during the prolonged litigation, particularly from former NGN staff and ex-police officials.
Additionally, he urges prosecutors to take action and for parliamentary committees to renew investigations into email deletions. Brown has also appealed to Attorney General Richard Hermer for intervention.
In response, NGN reiterated its denial of any intention to delete emails to hide evidence from the police investigation. Accusing Brown of being an “unreliable complainant,” they characterized his claims as driven by a personal vendetta against NGN. They maintain that their personnel acted with utmost integrity and adhered to all protocols agreed upon with the Metropolitan Police to provide access to and restore data.
NGN’s spokesperson stated, “Mr. Brown’s allegations provide a misleading summary of matters already addressed in civil proceedings that have undergone extensive investigation and litigation. It is common for retired police officers to hold views on unsuccessful convictions or unfavorable court outcomes. Those involved in investigations carried out from 2011 to 2015, armed with all the facts, would likely disagree.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police remarked, “We recognize that information emerging from civil cases may interest the public and press, particularly if they are encountering it for the first time; however, in most situations, it encompasses material already examined in previous investigations and reviews.”
“We are aware that parties involved in this recent case have indicated intentions to provide us with material, but we have yet to receive such correspondence. Should we do so, we will consider it thoroughly and appropriately, mindful of the necessity to explore valid lines of inquiry while acknowledging the substantial resources already expended on past investigations.”
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