Responding to comments by BAE Systems Chairman Dick Olver's this morning that he would welcome a 'case review' of the Al Yamamah arms deal but does not think the case should be reopened, Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg said:

"If Dick Olver is so certain about the apparent faults of the Serious Fraud Office's case, why won't he support the completion of the inquiry?

"Of course BAE favours a review of the evidence currently available because the case was stopped at a critical point, but a full investigation would need to gather much more evidence before any decision on prosecution could be made.

"While ministers hold their noses and the Tories silently look the other way, the reputation and integrity of British industry remains sullied by unanswered questions about this murky affair.

"The Government should stop prevaricating and immediately reopen the case, not merely instigate a review. The SFO must be allowed to complete and publish its work and an independent inquiry set up to investigate whether any political pressure was brought to bear to drop the case."

Notes

Dick Olver told the Today programme this morning that:

"The new head of the SFO, at a time that is convenient for him, should assemble whatever QCs are needed, and I think they are, and do a case review.

"Not reopen the case - a case review to find out whether or not there really is a case that would have any chance of going anywhere in a court of law.

"My belief is that the answer to that question is that there is no chance of it and that Lord Goldsmith was right in the first place."