Galloway free of any police investigation

Published on Thursday 19 July 2007 01:37

POLICE have no plans to launch an investigation into George Galloway over his charity's links to Saddam Hussein's regime, it emerged yesterday.

The Respect MP faces suspension from Parliament for 18 days after a damning report from the Commons watchdog, which accused him of concealing the true source of funding for a charity he established.

But Sir Philip Mawer, the Standards' Commissioner, said he had not had access to, nor sought, Mr Galloway's personal bank statements or those of the Mariam Appeal, the charity at the centre of the controversy.

Reports yesterday suggested that Scotland Yard detectives could seek papers from the Serious Fraud Office to establish whether there were grounds for prosecution.

However, Metropolitan Police sources yesterday said that there was no current inquiry and there were "no plans" to investigate Mr Galloway.