TNAG-0492-FCO40-557-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-Hong-Kong-police-an-1974 — Page 119

SPOKE WITH

CONFIDENTIAL

ON SEVERAL SUBSEQUENT OCCASIONS BUT THERE WAS NO

MENTION OF IMMUNITY. ON 26 APRIL PRENDERGAST AGAIN SAW

AND

WHEN

ASKED ALMOST RHETORICALLY QUOTE I'VE GOT THE AMNESTY? "UNQUOTE PRENDERGAST SAID QUOTE YES UNQUOTE. IN THE COURSE OF

CONVERSATION WITH PRENDERGAST

LET IT BE KNOWN THAT HIS

SOLICITORS WERE AWARE OF HIS WILLINGNESS TO GIVE INFORMATION.

SOME OF PRENDERGAST'S CONVERSATIONS WITH

WERE RECORDED AND

PRENDERGAST HAS REFRESHED HIS MEMORY FROM THE TRANSCRIPT.

4. IN THE MEANTIME PENLINGTON HAD HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH MESSRS,

HAMPTON AND WINTER. DESPITE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH PENLINGTON TODAY WE DO NOT HAVE FULL DETAILS

BUT THE POSITION BRIEFLY APPEARS TO BE AS FOLLOWS,

IF

PENLINGTON WAS APPROACHED BY THE SOLICITORS AND ASKED WHETHER,

WAS PREPARED TO GIVE EVIDENCE ON THE LINES OF HIS STATEMENT TO PRENDERGAST,

COULD HAVE AN ASSURANCE THAT NO

FURTHER PROCEEDINGS WOULD BE TAKEN AGAINST HIM AFTER HIS RELEASE ON 15 OCTOBER. SUCH AN ASSURANCE WAS GIVEN SOMETIME TOWARDS THE. END OF APRIL AND IT WOULD APPEAR THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN GIVEN

BEFORE PRENDERGAST SAW

ON 26 APRIL, THE ASSURANCE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CONFIRMED IN WRITING BY A LETTER FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AT THE SOLICITOR'S REQUEST. THE TEXT OF THE LETTER IS

IN MIPT. YOU SHOULD ASK PENLINGTON TO FILL IN THE DETAILS.

5. PARAGRAPH 3 OF YOUR TELNO 993.

PENLINGTON IS AWARE OF ALL THE FACTS CONCERNING THE ENQUIRIES WE WERE MAKING ABOUT HUNT'S GERMAN ACCOUNTS AND THE POSITION

CONCERNING

THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF DROPPING THE

CHARGES AGAINST EITHER OF THEM AT THE MATERIAL TIME. THE CASE

AGAINST HUNT WITH RESPECT TO THE GERMAN MONEY HAD RUN INTO THE

GROUND BECAUSE OF LACK OF ADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE. THERE WAS NO

EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM IN RESPECT OF ANY OTHER CRIME. THE ATTORNEY

GENERAL HAD DECIDED SOMETIME BEFORE THAT

SHOULD NOT BE

PROSECUTED IN RESPECT OF THE FALSE INFORMATION SHE GAVE IN RESPONSE TO A NOTICE UNDER SECTION 14 OF THE PREVENTION OF BRIBERY ORDINANCE

WHEN

WAS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. I BELIEVE THAT PENLINGTON

WILL CONFIRM THAT SHE WAS COVERED IN THE ASSURANCE TO

OWN INSISTENCE TO HUNT'S SOLICITORS.

AT HER

16. ONE

2.

CONFIDENTIAL