Minister did PR deal with Gulf state as ‘spy’ student lay in prison
Government denies any ministerial conflict of interest on UAE agreement
FOREIGN Office officials who told the wife of a student accused of being a British spy in the Gulf to keep silent about his plight were signing a public relations deal with his captors at the time.
Matthew Hedges and his wife Daniela Tejada said yesterday it was “shocking” to learn that the Foreign Office minister who was supposed to be getting him out of jail had signed off on a public relations tie-up with the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Hedges was freed last week after almost six months in solitary confinement.
The Durham University student was arrested at Dubai airport on May 5 after he spent two weeks in the region researching his PHD.
Ms Tejada finally ignored the Foreign Office’s advice not to publicise his arrest in October. He was convicted of spying for MI6 and jailed for life on Nov 21 before being freed under presidential pardon last week.
Friends and family of Mr Hedges, 31, and Ms Tejada, 27, are angry about the fourpage memorandum of understanding (MOU) which was signed with the Dubai government in May to improve its communications.
In the document, the UK Government agreed to share staff and expertise with Dubai. The agreement was signed by Alistair Burt, the minister of state for the Middle East.
Mr Burt was also in overall charge of the Hedges case.
A spokesman for Mr Hedges and Ms Tejada said: “From the very beginning, Daniela had expressed her concern to the Foreign Office about the UK-UAE economic relationship taking priority over the release of her husband – an innocent British citizen.
“It was then quite shocking to find out that one of the people tasked with securing Matt’s release had signed a commercial deal in the country that had imprisoned Matt. This did not instill confidence in their efforts.”
Friends of Ms Tejada have also complained that the deal implied a conflict of interest because if the case went public it would damage the UAE’S reputation – which the two governments signed the MOU to protect.
The agreement “to improve public services” and help “project influence” was revealed on May 13, in a press release in which Mr Burt expressed his “delight” at it.
Mr Hedges had been held for eight days at that point.
A Foreign Office source said it was their position to advise against publicity for such cases because “it can harm things by adding value on that person’s case”.
The source added: “We were working very hard from day one to secure his release and we got that.”
A government spokesman said the MOU was “to improve the capability and transparency of the government of Dubai’s communications service for the benefit of all its citizens”.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “There was no conflict of interest in this case.
“Any suggestion that we would let this MOU compromise our consular response is wholly untrue.”