The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Ex-scots Guard chief accused of abusing position
FORMER MILITARY chiefs face the threat of being barred from contact with ministers and defence officials after several were secretly filmed claiming to be able to exert influence on behalf of arms firms.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said if an MoD inquiry found the senior figures had abused the access that came with their previous high rank then it could be “shut down” in future.
The future of one senior figure as the figurehead of the Royal British Legion has come under review by the charity after he was alleged to have told undercover reporters his role could help bypass restrictions.
While Mr Hammond said the revelations were “deeply damaging” to the reputations of the individuals concerned, he insisted there was “no way that retired officers influence the way that military equipment is procured”.
Undercover reporters posing as representatives of a South Korean weapons manufacturer seeking to sell unmanned “drone” aircraft to the UK Government set up and filmed meetings with the senior ex-military figures.
They said two former Scots Guards — commanding off icer and Defence Academy head Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely and former MoD procurement chief L i e u t e n a nt Ge n e r a l Richard Applegate — claimed to have lobbied in breach of Whitehall rules.
The report prompted a high-level review by the Legion into whether or not Sir John, a decorated Falklands hero, had abused his position with the charity.
He is alleged to have said he could push a fake firm’s interests to figures such as the Prime Minister in a private box at the Festival of Remembrance next month at the Royal Albert Hall and, as the representative of the veterans’ charity, he could also easily fix meetings with Armed Forces MinisterAndrew Robathan that would otherwise be refused — where commercial issues could then be raised in conversation.
Legion director-general Chris Simpkins said the matter will be referred to its governance committee.