The High Court this week postponed a hearing on whether the official receiver can destroy the entire archive of accounting records relating to Astra Holdings, the defunct company embroiled in the arms to Iraq affair.
Gerald James, the former Astra chairman who is fighting his expulsion from the accountancy profession, says the archive of 2,600 boxes is crucial to his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights against a ruling by an accountant’s Joint Disciplinary Tribunal to expel him.
A full hearing is expected in two months’ time.
A DTI spokeswoman said one of the reasons for destroying the files was because they were stored at the public’s expense. James, however, said he had offered to look after the documents at no expense, but his offer had been turned down.
Links
Court to decide fate of Astra archive
PwC denies withholding Astra records
DTI seeks to destroy Astra accounting records
European Court appeal for Gerald James
Gerald James launches appeal against JDS decision
