The Government has sparked fury after it emerged they had agreed to pay a “substantial” sum to a man currently held in Guantanamo Bay accused of being a “Jihadi gatekeeper”.
Taxpayers’ cash was used to settle the legal claim brought by Abu Zubaydah, who alleged MI5 and MI6 were complicit in his “torture” by the CIA.
Zubaydah, a Palestinian born in Saudi Arabia, was captured in Pakistan in 2002 and held at several clandestine US “black sites” before being moved to the Cuban base.
American authorities initially described him as a senior al-Qaeda operative, although Washington subsequently withdrew that allegation.
The decision to pay the sum to the man prompted a furious letter from Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick.
He wrote to Foreign Secretary David Lammy demanding explanations for the payment.
In his letter, Mr Jenrick questioned the basis for compensating someone “accused of running terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and acting as a central gatekeeper for jihadists plotting attacks against the West, including Osama Bin Laden.”
He noted that Zubaydah “remains held in Guantanamo Bay by the USA under successive Presidents owing to their belief he poses a security risk of the highest order”.
The Government is under fire for paying a ‘substantial’ sum to settle a legal claim from a Guantanamo Bay prisoner
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The Shadow Justice Secretary questioned: “How can it possibly be a priority to give him taxpayers’ money?”
He also raised concerns about links with Attorney General Lord Hermer KC, who previously represented Zubaydah.
While not a member of the cabinet, the Attorney General is the most senior legal advisor to the Government.
“Lord Hermer KC was Zubaydah’s lawyer. He built the case against the Crown,” Mr Jenrick wrote.
In a letter to David Lammy, Robert Jenrick asked: ‘How can it possibly be a priority to give him taxpayers’ money?’
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He also challenged the Government’s decision to settle, noting that “the last case before the UK Supreme Court did not order damages” but “ruled only on a technicality regarding applicable law.”
“This settlement is a choice. You have chosen to capitulate to lawfare rather than defend our security services in court,” he wrote.
The Newark Conservative MP posed three specific questions requiring answers:
“What is the exact sum we have paid? Why settle when the Supreme Court did not order it? When exactly did Lord Hermer recuse himself?”
Mr Jenrick also raised concerns about Attorney General Lord Hermer KC
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He questioned how compensating Zubaydah could “possibly be a priority” for taxpayers’ money, given that the Government has never called for his release.
“The public deserves answers,” Mr Jenrick concluded.
GB News has approached the Foreign Office, the Attorney General and the legal counsel of Zubaydah for comment.
Zubaydah became the first individual subjected to the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” programme following the September 11 attacks.
Abu Zubaydah alleged MI5 and MI6 were complicit in his ‘torture’ by the CIA
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British intelligence agencies provided questions to the CIA for use during Zubaydah’s interrogations, whilst aware of his treatment, according to a parliamentary inquiry.
His legal team argued that by doing so, British intelligence services effectively “created a market” for the brutal interrogation techniques.
Professor Helen Duffy, Zubaydah’s international legal counsel, disclosed that he had received a “substantial amount of money” but could not disclose the figure for legal reasons.
“The compensation is important, it’s significant, but it’s insufficient,” she said, urging governments that “share responsibility for his ongoing torture and unlawful detention” to secure his release.
“These violations of his rights are not historic; they are ongoing. I am hopeful that the payment of the substantial sums will enable him to secure his freedom and to support himself when he’s in the outside world,” Ms Duffy told the BBC.
