Ex-News International lawyer repeats select committee 'inaccuracies' claim
News International's former director of legal affairs, Jonathan Chapman, has restated his desire to clarify "alleged inaccuracies" in statements made during select committee hearings last month. In a letter sent last week (26 July) to select committee chairman John Whittingdale MP, Chapman refers to evidence given during Parliamentary hearings on 19 July, repeating his claim that there were "serious inaccuracies" in statements made to the committee regarding his role.
August 02, 2011 at 07:27 AM
2 minute read
News International's former director of legal affairs, Jonathan Chapman, has restated his desire to clarify alleged "inaccuracies" in statements made during select committee hearings last month.
In a letter sent last week (26 July) to select committee chairman John Whittingdale MP, Chapman refers to evidence given during Parliamentary hearings on 19 July, repeating his claim that there were "serious inaccuracies" in statements made to the committee regarding his role.
The Culture, Media and Sport committee, which has taken the lead in investigating alleged phone-hacking at News International, released Chapman's letter last week (29 July) as part of a series of published correspondence relating to the News International session which saw Rupert and James Murdoch (pictured) questioned by MPs.
Chapman's letter also cites "inaccurate reporting in certain media" linking him to decisions made in relation to litigation involving now-defunct tabloid the News of the World, including "settlement payments and payment of the defence costs of third parties".
An earlier statement released through Chapman's lawyers, which is repeated in the letter to Whittingdale, states that Chapman was "responsible solely for corporate and commercial legal matters" at News International.
Chapman further states that he would "be delighted to cooperate fully" with the select committee in its investigations.
The news comes after former News of the World legal manager Tom Crone and ex-editor Colin Myler also recently called into question evidence given during the select committee hearings.
Meanwhile, Harbottle & Lewis has also recently written to Whittingdale to confirm that the firm has received an email from News Corp and News International adviser Linklaters, which sets out a "waiver of privilege" allowing it to answer questions put to the firm by police or "any relevant parliamentary committee".
Harbottle has faced intense scrutiny after News Corp chief executive Rupert Murdoch last month alleged that the firm made "a major mistake" in its part in an internal investigation into phone-hacking at the media mogul's newspaper business.
The law firm had been refused permission by News International to allow it speak out on its role in the phone-hacking saga, although the company has since agreed to free it from client confidentiality requirements.
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