purejuice

Back to the idea that Murdoch is a supranational nation state, with the newspapers acting as his enforcers.

The solicitors' professional association in Britain has announced a preliminary inquiry into crimes committed by lawyers in phone hacking scandal.
http://www.sra.org.uk/sra/news/press/now-investigation-launch.page
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/butterworth-and-bowcott-on-law/2011/jul/25/phone-hacking-lawyers-mobiles

This investigation is launched as lawyers for celebs and other victims of phone hacking begin to discover their phones were hacked too.

Having suborned Scotland Yard, and, apparently, MI5, Murdoch may have corrupted some of his lawyers as well.

Finally, in the suborned lawyers front, the judge appointed by Prime Minister Cameron to sit on lead the inquiry into the phone hacking scandal has socialized with Murdoch's daughter. Whigs demand wigs scalps.


Lord Justice Leveson, not looking very swift.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018405/Rupert-Murdoch-scandal-Phone-hacking-inquiry-judge-urged-come-clean.html

Meanwhile, his rival the NYT has set David Carr to the task. In the business pages today, Carr sums things up pretty nicely, saying James is doomed since the Crone/Myler "his testimony was mistaken" announcement of last week, and its over for Rupe, too. Ding, dong!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/business/media/scandal-splinters-the-murdoch-family-business.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=david%20carr&st=cse

Sir Paul has been outed accepting a free $17,000 stay at a spa whose PR guy is the newly arrested former NotW editor, Wallis, that Sir Paul hired as Scotland Yard's media consultant on the NotW phone hacking inquiry.

Various stories say Scotland Yard paid the spa fee and others say it didn't. The spa owner disputes there was any connection between the PR guy and Sir Paul's alleged freebie.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/met-chiefs-spa-stay-not-a-jolly-2315248.html

A Met [Scotland Yard] spokesman confirmed last night that the Commissioner had stayed for free at Champneys while recovering from the fracture. The medical treatment he received there was paid for by Scotland Yard. But the spokesman denied any suggestion of impropriety.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8643325/Phone-hacking-Sir-Paul-Stephenson-has-serious-questions-to-answer-says-Nick-Clegg.html

Sir Paul is scheduled for questioning at the same House of Commons inquiry to which the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks have been summonsed. Boneheadedness and cop petulance seem to be the defense. Yates and another clown testified before the Commons last week that they hadn't pursued the hacking inquiry because NotW wouldn't cooperate. Despite the MPs -- and the world's -- laughter, this defense is still being mounted by Scotland Yard:

On the same day, Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, will be grilled by the home affairs select committee on the police’s failure to fully investigate the hacking in 2005 and 2006 and again in 2009.
He will be asked why he employed Neil Wallis, the former deputy editor of the News of the World who was arrested last week, as a media adviser. Sources have told The Sunday Telegraph that Sir Paul’s job as Britain’s most senior police officer is now under threat and his performance at the committee could be the deciding factor in whether he survives. Last night, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, and Theresa May, the Home Secretary, offered him only lukewarm support.
Senior officers at Scotland Yard are furious that they are taking a large share of the blame when News International blocked inquiries. The source said News International had given assurances that they were co-operating fully in the initial investigation and that, as a result, it was impossible for police to obtain court orders allowing them to seize further material that would have proved a wider conspiracy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8642786/Phone-hacking-New-body-blows-for-Rupert-Murdoch.html

I say Sir Paul will not be arrested but will be fired. Or his assistants, Yates and...(TK) will be.

James? Will be fired from his BSkyB chairmanship, from his News Corp. positions, and will be arrested on inconclusive evidence (nevertheless persuasive to me) around his paying hush money to one phone hacking victim. As this payout case apparently also involves NotW legal manager Tom Crone (who resigned with a £1.5 million payout pegged to a gag order), I'm looking to see some kind of legal action there, like Crone selling James out for immunity.

This just in:
A senior Scotland Yard officer has told The Sunday Telegraph that News International executives – including Mr Murdoch’s son James – are being investigated for any alleged role in covering up the extent of “industrial scale” phone hacking.
The Metropolitan Police want to know why a series of emails, dating back to 2006, were only made available to detectives in January, prompting the current inquiry that has led in the past two weeks to the closure of the News of the World, the resignations of executives Rebekah Brooks and Les Hinton, the arrest of Andy Coulson and the scrapping of News Corporation’s proposed takeover of BSkyB.
The source said: “News International appears to have covered up this scandal. That is potentially a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. It would have to be proved that James Murdoch, Rebekah Brooks or any other senior executive knew the information handed over in 2011 was actually in the system in 2006 and suppressed it.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8642786/Phone-hacking-New-body-blows-for-Rupert-Murdoch.html

I think this, former British treasury minister Lord Myners calling for James' ouster from BSkyB, was the kiss of death for James -- the analog of Prince Saud's call for the ouster of Brooks. Pretty much all I want to know is whether or not Lord Myners allowed himself to be filmed making the announcement on his yacht at Cannes, fingering his worry beads.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/16/myners-james-murdoch-oust-bskyb

The flame-haired editrix got £3.5 million pay out/gag order (reportedly except for criminal investigations); it'll be interesting to see if she cops a plea. I say she won't, in hopes of additional future payouts from News Corp.

£3.5 million doesn't go far when you have to arrive at Elisabeth Murdoch power parties in your own copter.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2015563/Elisabeth-Murdoch-threw-party-Camerons-cronies-hours-beofre-Milly-Dowler-scandal.html

Nice.