No charges over Abrahams donation
By politics.co.uk staff
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will not pursue charges against the individuals connected to Labour donations from David Abrahams.
Mr Abrahams donated around £600,000 to Labour through a range of intermediaries, including his secretary.
“The Crown Prosecution Service has today advised all concerned parties that there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone with any offences in relation to the incorrect declaration of donations to the Labour party,” a CPS spokesman said.
Former Labour general secretary and treasurer Peter Watt, who was forced to resign over the affair, will not face charges.
Neither will David Triesman or Matthew Carter, both former Labour party treasurers.
“In this case, the true donor was Mr Abrahams and not those who acted as a conduit for the donations,” said Stephen O’Doherty, reviewing lawyer from the CPS Special Crime Division.
“However the reports signed by the registered treasurers who were Lord Triesman, Mr Carter and Mr Watt at the relevant times, incorrectly showed the donations as coming from those others instead of from Mr Abrahams. This forms the basis of the offence and is the primary element required to be proved to establish a realistic prospect of conviction.
He continued: “Lord Triesman and Mr Carter denied knowing Mr Abrahams was the source of the donations. Mr Watt said that he became aware that Mr Abrahams was the source but was led to believe that Mr Abrahams had ‘gifted’ the money to the conduits.
“As the donation reports incorrectly identified the donor, I had to consider what evidence I could rely upon if I charged an individual and what evidence I would then be able to bring to counter the statutory defence of the exercise of due diligence and the taking of reasonable steps to ensure the reports were accurate.
“The further enquiries by police highlighted inconsistencies in the evidence which meant that the prosecution would not be able to present a reliable account of what had taken place or precisely what the registered treasurers knew or did not know concerning the identity of the true donor.”
At its height, the scandal sucked in Cabinet members Harriet Harman and Hillary Benn.
Mr Benn accepted funds from Mr Abrahams for his deputy leadership campaign, as did the leader of the Commons, Ms Harman, who took money from Janet Kidd, one of Mr Abraham’s intermediaries.
