British MPs protest at extradition of 'Enron Three'

Senior British politicians were accused yesterday of smearing the three former NatWest banking executives facing extradition to the USA, in a political row that had parallels with the case of David Kelly, who killed himself almost three years ago to the day.

Yesterday's emergency Commons debate on extradition law threatened to descend into chaos when the Solicitor General, Mike O'Brien, described the trio repeatedly as the "Enron Three".

The former Home Secretary, Michael Howard, complained that the word 'Enron' - with its connotations of wide scale fraud - was "highly prejudicial' to the men's fight to defend themselves against fraud charges.

He was backed up by another Tory Home Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, who warned Mr O'Brien that he minister was coming "very dangerously near" to making it sound as if the government thinks that the three men are guilty of fraud.

The Respect MP George Galloway added: "Eleven times the Solicitor General of the UK in his remarks referred to these three individuals as the Enron Three, in what could only have been an attempt to describe them perjoratively and which must be prejudicial and must be unprecedented for a law officer of the crown in a matter like this."

Other Tory MPs pleaded with the Deputy Speaker, Alan Haselhurst, to order Mr O'Brien to stop using the expression as it might prejudice the men's trial, but Mr Haselhurst replied that he could not that do because the men are not facing trial in the UK.

An unrepentant Mr O'Brien finally agreed to drop the expression and stressed that the men are innocent until proved guilty.

But he added: "The three individuals concerned in this case face very serious allegations. Their case has been reviewed at length in the UK courts."

The Shadow Attorney General Dominic Grieve later produced documentary evidence of an organised Labour spin campaign that included using the label "Enron Three".

He read out from a leaked e mail written by Steve Bates, political adviser to the Home Secretary, John Reid, suggesting arguments that could be used to support the government's case.

It was headed "Not allowing crime to escape over borders versus supporting the PR campaign of multi-millionaires charged in relation to the biggest fraud in US corporate history." One of the points made in the memo was "Enron 3 lost court case."

The government scientist David Kelly committed suicide in July 2003, in the midst of a row over whether the government had exaggerated the case for the Iraq war, and was later described by a Downing Street press officer as a "Walter Mitty" character.

Tony Blair is now under growing pressure to tear up the extradition treaty he reached with the US three years ago and restart negotiations, amid accusations that he gave the Americans exactly what they were asking for without getting anything in return.

"I can't think of any reason not to abrogate the treaty with the United States. There is absolutely no national advantage to our having signed it whatsoever," Mr Grieve told MPs.

Mr Howard accused Mr Blair of being a "poodle" of the US.

The Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Clegg, who persuaded the Speaker to allow yesterday's emergency debate, said afterwards: "The Solicitor General appeared to be a lone voice in defending this unjustified treaty, with so painfully few Labour members supporting the Government's position."

As a token gesture, MPs symbolically voted to adjourn the house of Commons early yesterday to show their opposition to the treaty.

Only four loyal Labour MPs opposed the motion, with 246 from almost all the political parties, including some Labour rebels, voting against the government.

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