Corrupt British cops paid off

Yard chiefs who quit over phone hacking 'are given £500,000 in secret cash pay outs'

Two of Britain’s most senior police officers pocketed substantial pay-offs after resigning over the phone-hacking scandal, the Daily Mail can reveal. Former Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and his colleague John Yates are thought to have received up to £500,000 between them.

The cash was handed out after the pair signed gagging orders which bar them from suing the Metropolitan Police or speaking about their treatment.

The exact size of the payments, at a time of savage cuts to police budgets, was a closely guarded secret. But speculation was mounting that the total cost to the taxpayer, including fees racked up during weeks of legal wrangling, could be as much as half a million pounds.

The pay-offs underline how the scandal plunged the Met leadership into chaos amid a flurry of revelations about their close links to News International.

The force is now braced for further criticism after the Audit Commission, a public spending watchdog, ordered a review of how the pay-offs were agreed. Critics highlighted how both officers appeared to have been handsomely rewarded despite choosing to leave as a result of their own failings.

But supporters said the payments reflected the shambolic way in which they were treated as the force’s political leaders panicked. They laid the blame at the door of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), London Mayor Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Theresa May.

Jenny Jones, a member of the MPA, said the payments were ‘completely wrong’. She added: ‘When people resign they should just go, there is no question of a severance package or settlement deal. ‘They went because of their mistakes and should accept that. ‘It is wrong for any public organisation to be so secretive about something that is in the public interest and involves public money.’

The payments were agreed by lawyers at the soon-to-be-abolished MPA, which is a separate organisation from the Met. At first officials there insisted that as both officers made a ‘personal decision’ to resign they were entitled only to their pensions. But after being confronted with evidence of ‘termination payments’ by the Mail, they were forced to admit money had been paid.

The MPA refused to reveal how much the deals were worth but said the amount will be published in its annual accounts later this year.

Sir Paul, who earned £276,000 a year, resigned after admitting taking a £12,000 five-week freebie at a luxury health spa while he recovered from a cancer scare. Difficult questions were raised after it emerged that the spa was promoted by former News of the World executive and hacking suspect Neil Wallis. Mr Wallis was also hired as a consultant by the Met’s communications director, who remains on ‘extended leave’ over the £24,000 contract.

Mr Yates resigned from his post as Britain’s top anti-terrorism officer, with a £200,000 salary, several weeks later. He admitted being a close friend of Mr Wallis amid claims he improperly helped to secure a civilian job for the journalist’s 27-year-old daughter at Scotland Yard. Both officers were later cleared of any misconduct after an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Mr Yates is now preparing to move to Bahrain where he will advise the Government on police reform.

A Metropolitan Police Authority spokesman said: ‘Both Sir Paul Stephenson and John Yates signed compromise agreements at the request of the Authority to prevent any future disputes. ‘Payments made and recorded in those compromise agreements were based on their contractual entitlements.’

A Met spokesman said: ‘This is entirely a matter for the Police Authority.’

Original report here




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