Iraqis paid by taxpayer to accuse soldiers

IRAQIS are being paid by the British taxpayer to travel abroad to give evidence against British war veterans, a parliamentary inquiry was told yesterday, as it emerged soldiers were being put under secret surveillance.

The Iraqis, who have accused troops of abuse over incidents dating back as long ago as 2003, are given spending and living allowances after being flown to hotels overseas for interviews.

A controversial law firm, which shut down over alleged irregularities over its conduct in Iraq, has also been paid money out of public funds to attend the interviews in Turkey and Lebanon.

A senior MP said the payments could act as a “lucrative” incentive for Iraqis to make claims of abuse.

The admission followed a series of further damaging disclosures made to a defence select committee investigating the treatment of troops.

The inquiry heard that troops were being subjected to secret surveillance by private investigators hired by a recruitment agency – a practice branded a serious threat to national security. The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat), which was set up in 2010, has investigated more than 3,300 allegations of abuse, including murder and torture, made by Iraqis against British troops.

To date, only one soldier has been prosecuted for a minor offence and by next summer, the number of cases still under investigation will have been whittled down to just 60.

A series of disclosures in The Telegraph has fuelled growing pressure

on the Government to shut down

Ihat. Mark Warwick, the head of Ihat, insisted to the defence subcommittee yesterday that witnesses were paid “the most basic level of expenses” when being flown overseas.

Mr Warwick said the law firm Public Interest lawyers (PIL) was paid by Ihat to attend the interviews. The law firm closed in the summer after being stripped of legal aid funding.

He also refused to deny that soldiers were being put under surveillance.

Johnny Mercer, a former Army captain and the chairman of the parliamentary committee, warned: “There is a serious risk that paying expenses could be a lucrative opportunity to give evidence against British soldiers.”

Korean War veterans were forced to wait for hours at the back of the march past the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday on “what could be their last parade”. The group of former soldiers in their eighties has formally complained to Royal British Legion about their “shabby” treatment.