The SFO yesterday (22 April) informed claimants – Corner House Research and the Campaign Against Arms Trade – that it is seeking permission to appeal to the House of Lords against the judgment handed down earlier this month (10 April) by Lord Justice Moses and Mr Justice Sullivan.
The judge’s decision ruled in favour of the claimants, who argued commercial interests were behind the controversial decision to drop the probe into BAE’s £43bn Al-Yamamah arms contract with
The decision to appeal was made by former SFO Director Robert Wardle but has the full agreement of new Director Richard Alderman – who took up the post on 21 April.
For the appeal to be granted the High Court will have certify at a hearing set to take place tomorrow (24 April) that an appeal would be of public importance.
Alderman said today: “The judgment of the
He added: “The court itself has commented that the issues raised in this case are important points of public interest. I will therefore be seeking permission to appeal to the House of Lords to obtain a definitive ruling”.
The investigation into corruption, which began in 2004, was dropped in December 2006 by then-Attorney General Lord Goldsmith over national security concerns. The decision was widely viewed as having come amid pressure from the UK Government, concerned that the Saudi administration would stop co-operating with anti-terrorism efforts if the investigation was not stopped.
The claimants argued that the decision to drop the probe breached an international anti-bribery convention.
