Chair of Afghanistan Inquiry Warns Johnny Mercer about Possible Legal Consequences for ‘Wall of Silence’
The veterans’ minister has told a public inquiry he was angry when details emerged in 2020 which made it sound as if he had deliberately lied to MPs.
The chair of a public inquiry into serious allegations against the UK special forces in Afghanistan has warned veterans’ minister Johnny Mercer of the “potentially serious legal consequences” of his refusal to answer questions and name his sources.
The independent inquiry into Afghanistan, sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, is investigating allegations UKSF1, a unit of British special forces, executed Afghan men—sometimes unarmed and presenting no threat—between 2010 and 2013.
On Tuesday, Mr. Mercer refused to name serving officers, some of whom were close friends, who made “serious allegations” to him about the conduct of special forces in Afghanistan.
After he concluded his evidence on Wednesday morning the chair, Sir Charles Haddon-Cave, told him he found his decision not to answer certain questions “disappointing and surprising” and “completely unacceptable.”
Sir Charles told Mr. Mercer, “It gives rise to potentially serious legal consequences, which may need to be put in train.”
He warned the minister: “I have very significant powers, under the Inquiries Act 2005, which I would prefer not to have to use. But be assured Mr. Mercer that I will, if necessary.”
The legislation gives inquiry chairs the power to apply to the High Court for a witness summons to enforce a person to answer questions and if the witness continues to resist, they can be arrested and brought before the inquiry.
Mercer Refusing to Break ‘Omerta’
Sir Charles told Mr. Mercer, “You need to decide which side you are really on, is it assisting the inquiry fully … and the public interest and the national interest in getting to the truth of these allegations quickly for everyone’s sake, or being part of what is in effect omerta, a wall of silence.”
Earlier Mr. Mercer told Oliver Glasgow, KC, counsel to the inquiry, “If you truly want to get to the centre of these allegations, which I believe you do, and I believe the chair does, there is no point trying to frame whether I’ve taken an oath to tell the truth or not.”
Mr. Mercer, who served in the UK special forces but left the army in 2014 and became a Conservative MP the following year, added: “This court doesn’t intimidate me. You don’t intimidate me. I will try and help you … as much as I can. But that is the same for individuals who will come before this court. They are not intimidated by being in this court.”
Earlier Mr. Mercer admitted he felt angry and believed he had been “gamed” by senior military officers and the-then Defence Secretary Ben Wallace over allegations against the UK special forces in 2020.
[…]
Mr. Mercer was appointed a junior defence minister in 2019 and was asked to “get to the bottom” of allegations concerning UKSF1.
He told the inquiry of his reaction when he read articles published in The Sunday Times in August 2020 which appeared to undermine a statement he had made in Parliament in January of that year.
Mercer Felt He Had Been ‘Gamed’ by Top Brass
Mr. Mercer said he felt he had been “gamed” by Mr. Wallace and the military’s top brass, who he felt were using him to push through two contentious pieces of legislation—the Overseas Operations Bill and the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill—while keeping him in the dark about the Afghanistan allegations.
[…]
“Politics is a dodgy sport at the best of times,” said Mr. Mercer, who was sacked as veterans’ minister in April 2021, reappointed in July 2022, only to be fired by former Prime Minister Liz Truss two months later and finally brought back by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in October 2022.
[…]
The inquiry continues and is expected to be completed later this year.
Source link
