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Spurs deny snooping charges

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Submitted by WG on Wed, 09/11/2011 - 09:45

In the latest twist in the convoluted Olympic Stadium saga Tottenham Hostpur have rejected in the strongest possible terms allegations that they had organised the monitoring of all 14 members of the board of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) by private investigators.   The claim was made by Baroness Ford, the chair of the OPLC.


Spurs rejected her comments and issued a statement through their lawyers which stated: 'The club did not undertake, instruct or engage any party to conduct surveillance on any member of the OPLC committee and we consider the making of this baseless accusation to be wholly inappropriate and irresponsible.'


Detectives in the Metropolitan Police's Economic and Specialist Crime Command have been investigating the claims since August following allegations by West Ham and the OPLC in respect of unlawful obtaining of information.   A 29-year old man who was arrested on suspicion of fraud yesterday was questioned at a Sussex police station and has been bailed until mid-February pending further enquiries.


As part of their enquries detectves conducted searches at both a residential and business premises in Sussex,  a second private address in Sutton, and a further address in Westminster.  An amount of material was seized during these searches.


West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has said that she believed her phone was hacked.   Her claim against PKF, the accountants conducting due diligence for Tottenham and partner Howard Hill will be heard in the High Court next week.   PKF and Hill deny any wrongdoing.


The OPLC is insistent that the stadium will be multi-use after the Olympics and that any football tenant will have to put up with the running track which reduces the immediacy of the game for fans.  In the past both Wembley and Stamford Bridge had greyhound tracks, but they hardly enhanced the matchday experience.


 

Related Clubs: 
Tottenham Hotspur plc
West Ham United Football Club plc

Baroness Ford

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/11/2011 - 14:00.

It is totally disingenuous of Baroness Ford to complain about the "Anonymous Complaint". All complaints to the European Commission are guaranteed confidentiality because of the fear of reprisals against whistle-blowers. In one case where the EC failed to protect an informant, the Swiss jailed him for five years and his wife committed suicide in the interim.

If, people like the Baroness, Sullivan and Gold are peeved at the protection being given to the informant, then it can only be because they are frustrated at not being able to take reprisals. 

For the Baroness in particular her attitude is a disgrace, and she is more worried about finding out who the informant is rather than the fact WHU and the London Borough of Newham were planning to break EU law. As a Baroness she is a member of the House of Lords, but you do not hear her calling for changes to the law  to stop the Police using anonymous or even paid informants.