Galloway told to register law suits cash

Published on Wednesday 26 April 2006 12:57

CONTROVERSIAL MP George Galloway was today told by Westminster sleazebusters to register his legal fund, raised to fight actions against newspapers, or face possible suspension from the House of Commons.

The former Glasgow Kelvin Labour MP was warned in a special report from the all-party Committee on Standards and Privileges.

Mr Galloway has maintained that the fund and its individual contributors raised to pay for law suits against the Daily Telegraph and the Christian Science Monitor did not need registering.

But the committee said that Mr Galloway should have registered the fund and at least four large individual donations.

Mr Galloway, who raised the cash to fight claims he had illegally received money from the Food for Oil UN scheme to aid the Iraqi people under deposed dictator Saddam Hussein, claims he had no benefit from the fund.

But the committee concluded that: "Mr Galloway received both a pecuniary interest and a material benefit from the existence of the legal fund".