THE Labour leadership has asked the Prime Minister to intervene in the
crisis facing Northern Ireland Minister Michael Mates over his
association with fugitive tycoon Asil Nadir.
With Mr Mates's political future seriously in question, Opposition
City spokesman Alistair Darling said the public was entitled to an
explanation.
MPs said the Minister should explain his gift of a watch -- inscribed
''Don't let the buggers get you down'' -- to Mr Nadir just a few days
before the bankrupt ex-Polly Peck chief jumped #3.5m bail and fled to
Turkish Northern Cyprus.
Mr Mates wrote more than once to the Attorney-General, Sir Nicholas
Lyell, about the Serious Fraud Office's handling of its inquiries into
Mr Nadir.
A lawyer acting for the businessman intervened on behalf of Mr Mates,
saying he was acting as a good MP in taking an interest in a man going
through ''a rough time''.
Mr Darling said: ''I will be writing to the Prime Minister asking him
to investigate Michael Mates's involvement with Asil Nadir. Michael
Mates is a holder of public office, being a Minister of the Crown.
''I find it surprising that he should be taking Asil Nadir's case and
doing so shortly before he disappeared from this country. The public is
entitled to know.
''There may well be an innocent explanation, but as far as we know, Mr
Nadir was not a constituent of his.''
With other MPs demanding Government action, Mr Mates was backed by
former Bar Council chairman Anthony Scrivener, QC, who was retained by
Mr Nadir to defend him on 13 charges of theft and false accounting.
Mr Scrivener said: ''The whole thing is totally ludicrous. Mr Mates
was acting as a very good MP in taking an interest in the Nadir case.
''He took an interest in Nadir when he was having a rough time. A lot
of unfair things are happening to Nadir and Mr Mates wrote letters to
the Attorney-General pointing out things that had gone on. Mr Mates has
behaved very reputably.''
He added: ''It is true that Mr Mates gave Nadir a watch. It was a bit
of a joke.
''Lots of people gave him watches after he had his own watch taken
from his wrist by solicitors in trustee in bankruptcy. It was at the
time they seized everything from his room.''
Mr Scrivener said one of Mr Mates's letters to the Attorney-General
was about the fact that the SFO refused to go to Northern Cyprus.
The SFO has said it made no inquiries in Northern Cyprus because the
self-proclaimed republic is not recognised diplomatically by Britain or
most of the rest of the world.
Mr Douglas Hoyle, chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, claimed
Mr Mates was ''supporting a man who has jumped bail while facing very
serious charges.
''He must explain himself or reconsider his position -- and if there
is no satisfactory outcome, then the Prime Minister should sack him.''
Mr Hoyle, MP for Warrington North, said: ''The public is entitled to
know what is happening, when a Minister acts in this way towards a man
who is on the run from British justice.''
Neath Labour MP Peter Hain said he would table Commons questions to
the Prime Minister about reports that Mr Mates was lobbying on Mr
Nadir's behalf.
''John Major should be asking why this is happening if the reports are
true, especially as Nadir has given a lot of money to the Tory Party.
Government sources said they understood Mr Mates was acting in the
matter as a constituency MP, and not as a Minister.
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