« Anger at refusal to reveal legal advice on possible torture flights | Main | Repression of Uzbekistan's Secular Opposition Reaches New Levels »
January 2, 2006
Asil Nadir, MI6, and the flight to Cyprus
An interesting Point:
I was head of the Cyprus Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office when Asil Nadir of Polly Peck fled the UK while on bail (an old scandal you could google).
Nadir was in a hotel in North Cyprus, and I was discussing with MI6 a plan to kidnap him and bring him in to one of the UK sovereign base areas on the island.
The plan was blocked because, in a case recent at that time, the House of Lords had ruled that anyone taken unlawfully and brought into our jurisdiction could not be held and tried.
It ran through my mind again when considering the Athens case. The joy of extraordinary rendition is, of course, that you are not bringing them in to this country, where they would have the protection of the courts, but you're kidnapping them and taking them to places where they can be abused and tortured.
Returning back down memory lane to the Nadir case, I am convinced there was complicity by the authorities in his escape. The police surveillance unit was stood down for the bank holiday weekend to avoid the expense of paying them overtime (I am not making this up). He plainly knew this was going to happen, because within minutes he was in a fast car (driven by a professional racing driver) who drove him to an airfield where a private plane was waiting with engines running.
There were many in the then political establishment who had taken Nadir's shilling and didn't want him in the witness box. That is why I was looking at extreme measures to get him back.
But you will have to wait until I have finished my second book, and it's been banned, before you learn more of that...
Craig
Posted by andrew on January 2, 2006 3:10 PM in the category Rendition
Comments
I was at school with his son when the scandal broke. I remember us all asking what his dad did when we first met, and he said "a greengrocer". Nadir obviously had good contacts - no-one ever found out about his son, as far as I know...
Posted by: Wibbler ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 5, 2006 8:05 PM
I know Asil Nadir. I spied on him and his banker, Elizabeth Forsyth, on behalf of MI6.
I have informed Mr Nadir about Craig Murray's comments.
I hope to be in touch with Mr Murray in due course. I believe that we have interests in common.
Posted by: Spy at February 5, 2006 4:42 PM
I was his son Sirhan's Nanny. Birol his eldest son was about 12 or 13 and Sirhan was about 2 when I started there.I loved the job and have very happy memories of those days.I would love to see those boys again. I still think of them and wonder what has happened to them.
Posted by: *eng* at October 6, 2006 2:35 PM
His son Sirhan is going to get married in autumn
Posted by: pert at February 18, 2007 9:56 AM
Sirham lives in the US.. he is doing rather well for himself, a very reserved person
Posted by: pert at February 18, 2007 9:58 AM
I have just seen these comments about Sirhan. Thank you. I am so happy he is doing well. I adored that child. I have searched and searched for news on him. I have found pieces on Birol but nothing on Sirhan. I have photos of him as a little boy and will always treasure them. If anyone has any way I can send him an email or any way of sending him a letter I'd be so grateful. I'm never likely to see him again unfortunately but to write would be wonderful. It's made my day to know he's happy.Thank you so much,
Posted by: *eng* at February 10, 2008 5:15 PM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)