London, April 21, 2007
Sandeep Kochar
The entire UK 'peerage' system
represents nothing more than something bought and paid
for by its beneficieries in some form or another; by blood line,
by freemasonary, by devious contacts, by backhanders, by bribes,
by sucking up, or whatever.
Last year, inquiry into the scam was launched that
political parties illegally offering financial supporters seats
in parliament's unelected upper House of Lords. Tony Blair is
the first Prime Minister to be questioned in office as part of
a criminal investigation when four people nominated by Blair for
peerages -- seats in Parliament's unelected chamber, the House
of Lords -- had loaned the party millions of dollars before last
year's general election.
Four businessmen gave Labour £4.5
million in unpublicised loans. They were:
- Dr Chai Patel, the chief executive of Priory
Clinics- has given Labour £1.5 million
- Sir Gulam Noon, who said he was advised
to keep a £250,000 loan secret.
- Barry Townsley, a stockbroker who has also
donated money towards a city academy school
- Sir David Garrard, a property developer who
also donated money to a city academy
Under rules in party funding established by Blair's
government, donations over $8,730 must be declared, but loans
of any amount do not.
Lord Levy,
the Labour Party's chief fund raiser who has been arrested
as part of Scotland Yard's year -long inquiry into allegations
that honours were given in return for loans of £14 million
from 12 businessmen.
His arrest followed allegations that he advised
Sir Gulam Noon not to inform the Lords Appointment Committee about
a £250,000 loan to the Labor Party. Levy told the entrepreneur
Sir Gulam Noon in a telephone conversation to remove a reference
to the loan from his Lords application, last October.
Prof Sir Christopher
Evans, 49, founder of Merlin Biosciences, who secretly
gave a loan to the t the party £1 million to fight its 2005
election campaign, broke his silence about the political
scandal in a confidential letter. He was arrested last September,
details his relationship with Lord Levy- the Labour Party's chief
fund raiser.
Sir Christopher, estimated to be worth more than
£150 million and has close relationship with Tony Blair.
Sir Christopher, whose business invests in companies working in
biosciences, is the first party donor to be arrested as part of
the police inquiry that began in March.
"I voluntarily attended the police interview and have always
been happy to provide the police with any information they have
requested.
"There was nothing raised in the interview that caused me
or my solicitor any concern or to think that I have done something
wrong. I have done nothing wrong and have absolutely nothing to
hide.
"I am willingly co-operating with this inquiry and fully
respect the job the police officers are doing, although I am disappointed
that the technicality of arrest was used in this situation. My
solicitors felt it was unnecessary particularly since I had always
indicated my willingness to co-operate fully.
"I am extremely frustrated to be placed in this situation
as a result of what I believed to be a straightforward commercial
loan to the Labour Party to assist them with their cash flow for
the last election campaign.
"I never made a secret of the loan and if I had been asked
at any time whether I had made a loan would have confirmed the
fact. My record as a long-standing Labour donor and supporter
was there for all to see.
"The reason I made the loan was precisely because I was
not prepared to make such a substantial donation to the Labour
Party. From the outset I made it clear that the money would be
a commercial, interest-bearing loan which was to be repaid in
full and that remains the case.
"Frankly, if I thought for one moment that I would be placed
in this embarrassing and mind-boggling position I would not have
made the loan.
"I am proud to have been honoured twice in the past by both
Conservative and Labour Governments for my work in the medical
biosciences sector. That is the only basis on which I would accept
any honour."
Sir
Gulam Noon lent £250,000 to Labour, his name had
been blocked by the Lords
Appointments Commission because of "Cash for peerages"
NRI
Dr Chai Patel, owner of the Priory rehab clinics, has
given Labour £1.5million in donations. He said he would
not have agreed to a loan if he had thought it would be seen as
buying an honour.