The former British Conservative minister Neil Hamilton has lost his libel action against Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed. This afternoon a High Court jury in London decided that Mr. Hamilton had not been libelled by Mr al Fayed's allegations that he bribed him to ask parliamentary questions.
After a five week libel trial which has been noted for its viciousness, Neil Hamilton, the former Tory MP and minister is now virtually bankrupt and faces a legal bill of over £1 million. He had sued the Harrods boss because he had alleged that Mr. Hamilton had taken bribes in return for raising issues in parliament. It became known as the cash for questions affair and helped bring down the Tory government in 1997. Neil Hamilton lost his Commons seat in the subsequent general election.
Mr al Fayed said he had paid Mr. Hamilton in cash in envelopes. Mr and Mrs Hamilton had also been guests at the Ritz hotel in Paris - owned by al Fayed and had received Harrods gift vouchers. A crucial factor had been further allegations, which surfaced during the trial, that the former MP had corruptly demanded a £10,000 payment from Mobil oil for tabling an amendment to a bill in which the company had an interest. Mr Hamilton claimed it was a legitimate consultancy. Both he and his wife were present in court to hear the verdict. Mrs Hamilton said the jury had been wrong, and that her husband was not corrupt.
In a statement afterwards, Mr al Fayed said Christmas had come early. Although he is the winner today, the proof that he was prepared to bribe an MP will do nothing to help Mr al Fayed’s quest for a British passport and citizenship.
