Sun journalist paid HMRC press officer for budget details, court hears
|
Version 0 of 1. A reporter on the Sun newspaper allegedly paid £17,000 to an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) press officer for confidential information including leaked details of the 2010 budget, an Old Bailey jury heard. Clodagh Hartley, 40, Whitehall editor of the Sun at the time, was “motivated by acquiring the next big scoop”, while her source, Jonathan Hall, a senior information officer at HMRC, was “motivated by greed”, the court was told. Stories included details of the 2010 budget, published on budget day, “so readers of the Sun were reading details of the budget before the chancellor had got to his feet in the House of Commons”, said Zoe Johnson QC, prosecuting. Most of the payments were paid into the account of Hall’s live-in girlfriend, Marta Bukarewicz, “to cover his tracks”, it was alleged. Bukarewicz then transferred the money to Hall’s account “deceptively labelled as rent” and kept some money herself as “commission” for “her unlawful efforts”, it was alleged. Hartley and Bukarewicz both deny conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. Opening the case, Johnson said when police began an investigation into allegations about payments at the Sun and arrests were made, Hartley sought to reassure Hall. In one text message she wrote: “There is no record of you.” Hall responded: “Yes but there is a record of Marta receiving payments and it is my address.” Hartley responded: “She is not a public official. It is not illegal to pay a member of the public.” Johnson said: “In that one short text Hartley, we suggest, revealed she knew that paying Hall, a public official, was illegal.” Johnson told the jury: “Many of you will have sympathy for journalists who expose mismanagement and inefficiency in government departments. But that is not what this case is about,” she said. She added: “This was no noble whistleblowing relationship, but a grubby relationship based on greed.” Hall participated in daily morning meetings at which all the HMRC press officers would be present and issues were freely discussed. Hartley “exploited” these to “pump him for information”, said Johnson. The prosecution alleges that over a two-year period Hall was paid more than £4,000 by the Sun’s publisher, News International (NI), and that NI credited £13,000 into Bukarewicz’s account. She allegedly transferred the bulk of it, £12,000, to her boyfriend’s account and kept £845 “by way of a reward to herself”, the court heard. “Once you have heard the evidence you might conclude that money at the time was no object for the Sun newspaper,” said Johnson. Police found an NI “contributor agreement” at the couple’s home, the court heard. Stories published included one headlined “£1m celeb Ads”, revealing that £1.3m of taxpayers’ money was being spent on a TV campaign to publicise a government website, DirectGov, and celebrities like Kelly Brook and others were being paid to appear in the campaign. Another, headlined “Ed blows £24m on vote move” in March 2010, detailed how schools secretary Ed Balls was moving the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority from London to Coventry. On budget day in March 2010, the Sun published a “leaked” announcement that there was going to be a rise in fuel duty. “As you would expect the details of the budget are a closely guarded secret and you would expect details should be announced first in parliament and then broadcast. Not the other way around, and certainly not sold for money,” said Johnson. As Hall sold “more and more valuable” stories to Hartley, the need for him to cover his tracks was “all the more necessary”, said Johnson, and Hartley “must have known that”. In an email dated 8 June 2010 Hartley wrote: “The new name for payment for my government contact is Marta Bukarewicz, I have put through the first half today.” There could be “no suggestion” that Bukarewicz did not know where the money was coming from as police found a number of NI invoices addressed to her, said Johnson. One text from her to her boyfriend read: “I’ve transferred £600 to your account, it might be better if you provide them with your bank account details.” Johnson asked: “Was this Bukarewicz getting anxious about her role in the agreement?” Texts suggested Hartley was telling Hall what she wanted by way of a story and what would be more lucrative for him, said Johnson. One text from Hartley to Hall read: “We are SUPER KEEN on VAT. If you can I think it would be front page.” Another read: “Can you check at briefing what’s being said.” Johnson said: “Clearly she is tasking her source.” In another text, Hartley wrote to Hall: “Hon I can’t get more than 800 quid for a page lead. The only thing they pay more for is a front page … You know I get you the max I can every time. Look forward to the next one. Speak tomorrow.” When the police began investigation at the Sun, Hall asked Hartley what was happening, Johnson said. She responded: “I really don’t know am totally out of the loop and to make enquiries would look like I’m worried. Just keep our heads down.” Hall has accepted that he supplied stories to Hartley for which he was paid. The case was adjourned until Tuesday. |