Workers' fury at MG probe delay
Jul 6 2009 by Jon Griffin, Birmingham Mail
“There are a lot of former Longbridge workers still struggling in low paid jobs.”
The new fraud inquiry was confirmed in a written statement to Parliament today by Lord Mandelson, who said: “There has been a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the events which led to the company failing, workers losing their jobs and creditors not getting paid. The SFO must now see if there are grounds for prosecution.”
A Government statement added: “The Inspectors delivered their report on June 11 2009. Following legal advice the Rover Report will not be published at this time in order to ensure any potential prosecution is not prejudiced.
“The position will be reviewed following the outcome of the SFO’s considerations.”
Northfield MP Richard Burden said: “My constituents – including many former MG Rover workers – and the people in the West Midlands still need to be told the facts about what led to the closure of the company.
“They have now waited over four years for those answers and they know that £16 million of public money has been spent on the inquiry. It will be a bitter blow for everyone to face the prospect of further delays before they have answers to their questions.”
Meanwhile, John Towers’ Phoenix Four accused the Government of deliberately stalling the long-awaited inquiry report until after a General Election.
A statement by John Towers, Peter Beale, Nick Stephenson and John Edwards said: “This tactic is probably the only way the Department of Business can realistically avoid publishing a report that, if fair and balanced, will undoubtedly be critical of their and the Government’s overall role in MG Rover’s demise.
“Another inquiry is the last thing people want, and failure to publish the report lets down the 6,000 people who lost their jobs.
“We suspect this is nothing more than a Government ruse to disguise their own failings, shift the blame to others and kick the inquiry report into the long grass until after the election, spending yet more taxpayers’ money in the process.”
