Criminal investigation over runway expansion ‘cover up’
07.02.10
The Department for Transport (DfT) faces a criminal investigation following a complaint that it deleted important internal emails about the expansion of Heathrow Airport, the Times reports. The DfT is accused of deleting emails to and from BAA between September and November 2007 as the Government prepared to back its controversial plans for a third runway.
The newspaper reports the investigation unit of the Information Commissioner’s Office has asked to interview civil servants at the DfT about this apparent destruction of evidence. The emails were requested under freedom of information laws by Justine Greening, Conservative frontbencher and MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, who has led the campaign against the planned airport expansion.
Ms Greening asked for an investigation after spotting gaps in email conversations between transport officials and BAA. One email sent between the DfT and BAA on November 1, 2007 referred to potentially damaging information and asked: ‘Can we play down?’ The reply is among the emails that have apparently gone missing.
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