The highly sensitive News Corp. phone hacking scandal that alleges close contact with police official to hack into 9/11 victim’s phone lines saw two of Britain’s senior most officers denying to the British lawmakers that they had close relations with News Corp., but did express their regrets for the police handling of the scandal.
Metropolitan police commissioner Paul Stephenson resigned stating that he was totally unaware of the connections between police public relations officer and the News Corp officials.
Departed deputy editor of News of the World, Neil Wallis is alleged over the relationship between Scotland Yard and the weekly tabloid. The allegations intensified when the Conservative Party added that Willis might have provided Andy Coulson, former senior aide of Mr. Cameron, with some ‘voluntary advices’ before the elections.
The departing Commissioner had carefully investigated Mr. Wallis’s hiring at Scotland Yard in 2009 when he decided not to reopen the allegations of the phone hacking scandal. Mr. Yates informed the committee that Mr. Wallis is not involved and knows nothing in regard to the phone hacking that could embarrass the police. Sir Paul and Mr. Yates resigned few days back.
Mr. Coulson who was the editor of News Corp., was arrested when the phone hacking took place. In a statement released by the conservatives they had mentioned that they never paid Mr. Wallis or the company and Mr. Cameron came to know of the connection between Mr. Wallis and Mr. Coulson came to his attention only this week.
Mr. Yates mentioned Mr. Wallis as his ‘friend’ whom h only met only twice or thrice in a year. He also accepted that he sent the resume of the deputy editor’s daughter to the head of the Human Resources. He stated that it was just an employment opportunity and nothing to do with the scandal.
Sir Paul mentioned that he had not been following the developments in the scandal and argued that he had his own priorities and the phone hacking was not amongst it.
