BAE defeated in court by CAAT

CAAT celebrated a major victory in February after winning a court case against BAE Systems. As a result, we have learnt more about the lengths to which BAE will go to protect its profits and privileges from public opinion.

CAAT took BAE to court after discovering that the company had obtained a confidential document internal to CAAT. The document contained advice from CAAT’s lawyers about plans for a judicial review of the decision to end the Saudi corruption probe. It was clear to us that the judicial review proceedings could not be balanced if BAE was able to read CAAT’s legal advice. The court agreed and BAE was ordered to reveal how the document came into the company’s hands.

BAE then had little choice but to admit that it had been paying a private investigator to gather information on CAAT. Paul Mercer, an agent for LigneDeux Associates, received £2,500 each month from BAE. In return he passed information on CAAT and other groups to Mike McGinty, BAE’s Director of Security. BAE insist that they expected Mercer to operate within the law, but Mercer himself admits sending McGinty the legally privileged document in question. He claims that he was sent it anonymously, receiving it on CDROM in the post less than 24 hours after it was written.

Just as it seemed that BAE’s reputation could sink no lower, this revelation posed yet another threat to their public image. BAE’s first statement on the subject insisted that CAAT had brought the issue to court “to garner publicity”. This obviously ignores the need for the judicial review proceedings to be fair and impartial. It also demonstrates BAE’s attitude to “publicity”. They clearly do not believe that the public have a right to know what powerful people are doing behind closed doors.

The incident has now been referred to the police. However, we believe that the danger of CAAT’s communications being intercepted is sufficiently contained to allow the judicial review to proceed.

CAAT’s court victory over BAE is also significant in another way. When the Government ended the Saudi corruption inquiry, it implied that BAE was above the law. The court’s decision has now prevented BAE from behaving as it likes. We are a step closer to the day when BAE can no longer get away with calling the shots.