Judge clears Blair over Kelly affair

LONDON – British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government was cleared of serious wrongdoing yesterday by a judicial inquiry into the suicide of weapons expert David Kelly.

But the inquiry hit out at the BBC for the way it aired allegations that Downing Street “sexed up” intelligence on Iraq, then stuck by its reporter Andrew Gilligan when it was “apparent” his story was flawed. Senior judge Brian Hutton confirmed that Blair was “directly involved” in discussions on how the government should react when Kelly confessed that he had been the source of a BBC report in May which carried the allegations.But he added: “There was no dishonourable or underhand or duplicitous strategy by the government covertly to leak Dr Kelly’s name to the media” just a few day before the biological weapons took his life in July.In the House of Commons, Blair — who was hurled into the worst crisis of his political career when Kelly killed himself — said he fully accepted Hutton’s conclusions.But top brass at the BBC, the world’s biggest and best-known public broadcaster, pored over Hutton’s report, which ran to 740 pages including appendices, to determine their reaction.Its board of governors was to meet later yesterday.Kelly, a former UN arms inspector and respected expert on biological weapons, killed himself in July shortly after the Ministry of Defence, his employer, exposed him as the source of a BBC radio report in May which alleged that the government had “sexed up” intelligence on Iraq in the run-up to war.Key to the allegation was the bold claim in a September 2002 dossier on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction — part of Blair’s effort to build public support for Britain to join a US invasion of Iraq — that Saddam Hussein’s regime could deploy chemical or biological weapons in just 45 minutes.Hutton concluded:* The 45 minute claim, though it came from a single intelligence source, was “based on an intelligence report which the Special Intelligence Service (MI6, Britain’s overseas intelligence agency) believed to be reliable”.* An assertion by BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan, who met Kelly a week before his broadcast, that the government knew the 45-minute claim was wrong was “unfounded”.* The phrased “sexed up,” used by Gilligan in his report, “is a slang expression, the meaning of which lacks clarity in the context of the discussion of the dossier”.* BBC management was “at fault” for not properly investigating the Blair government’s complaints about Gilligan’s report.* The governors of the BBC were right to defend the broadcaster’s independence, but “are to be criticised” for failing to delve deeper into whether Gilligan’s report was correct.* Blair’s government “did not behave in a dishonourable or underhand or duplicitous way” when it decided to reveal the fact that a civil servant had identified himself as Gilligan’s source.* The Ministry of Defence, Kelly’s employer, was “at fault and is to be criticised” for failing to tell Kelly beforehand that his name was being confirmed to reporters who correctly guessed it.”I am satisfied that Dr. David Kelly took his own life by cutting his left wrist and that his death was hastened by his taking (painkiller) co-proxamol tablets,” the judge said.He added: “I am further satisfied that there was no involvement by a third person in Dr Kelly’s death”.- Nampa-AFPSenior judge Brian Hutton confirmed that Blair was “directly involved” in discussions on how the government should react when Kelly confessed that he had been the source of a BBC report in May which carried the allegations. But he added: “There was no dishonourable or underhand or duplicitous strategy by the government covertly to leak Dr Kelly’s name to the media” just a few day before the biological weapons took his life in July. In the House of Commons, Blair — who was hurled into the worst crisis of his political career when Kelly killed himself — said he fully accepted Hutton’s conclusions. But top brass at the BBC, the world’s biggest and best-known public broadcaster, pored over Hutton’s report, which ran to 740 pages including appendices, to determine their reaction. Its board of governors was to meet later yesterday. Kelly, a former UN arms inspector and respected expert on biological weapons, killed himself in July shortly after the Ministry of Defence, his employer, exposed him as the source of a BBC radio report in May which alleged that the government had “sexed up” intelligence on Iraq in the run-up to war. Key to the allegation was the bold claim in a September 2002 dossier on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction — part of Blair’s effort to build public support for Britain to join a US invasion of Iraq — that Saddam Hussein’s regime could deploy chemical or biological weapons in just 45 minutes. Hutton concluded: * The 45 minute claim, though it came from a single intelligence source, was “based on an intelligence report which the Special Intelligence Service (MI6, Britain’s overseas intelligence agency) believed to be reliable”. * An assertion by BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan, who met Kelly a week before his broadcast, that the government knew the 45-minute claim was wrong was “unfounded”. * The phrased “sexed up,” used by Gilligan in his report, “is a slang expression, the meaning of which lacks clarity in the context of the discussion of the dossier”. * BBC management was “at fault” for not properly investigating the Blair government’s complaints about Gilligan’s report. * The governors of the BBC were right to defend the broadcaster’s independence, but “are to be criticised” for failing to delve deeper into whether Gilligan’s report was correct. * Blair’s government “did not behave in a dishonourable or underhand or duplicitous way” when it decided to reveal the fact that a civil servant had identified himself as Gilligan’s source. * The Ministry of Defence, Kelly’s employer, was “at fault and is to be criticised” for failing to tell Kelly beforehand that his name was being confirmed to reporters who correctly guessed it. “I am satisfied that Dr. David Kelly took his own life by cutting his left wrist and that his death was hastened by his taking (painkiller) co-proxamol tablets,” the judge said. He added: “I am further satisfied that there was no involvement by a third person in Dr Kelly’s death”. – Nampa-AFP

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