Press Release
Commercial interests of Mr Atma Singh
21-1-2008 046
It has been revealed that Atma Singh, principal source for Martin Bright’s ‘Dispatches’ programme, created a commercial company offering consultancy services for profit in March 2005 while still an employee of the Greater London Authority. This violated rules regarding propriety of conduct which require staff " to avoid using their official position or information acquired in their official duties to further their private interests" nor to "engage in any other business" without the agreement of the Greater London Authority. He failed to declare the creation of this company to the Greater London Authority or that he was a director of it.
Martin Bright, who is the presenter of a ‘Dispatches’ programme attempting to denigrate the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has today launched a public attack on London’s anti-terrorism police.
Mr Bright did not reveal, and may have been unaware, that Mr Singh had formed such a commercial consultancy company while still a Greater London Authority employee.
Having been presented with damning evidence that his source for the programme, Atma Singh, was forced to leave the Greater London Authority due to failure to answer requests for assistance from the anti-terrorism police, or to report to the Mayor’s Office this request for assistance, Martin Bright has now directly attacked the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorism Unit on which every single Londoner relies for their safety.
This statement is both slanderous against the police and entirely false. Mr Singh gave no ‘advice’ whatever. He failed even to report to the Mayor’s Office that he had received a request for specific assistance from the anti-terrorist unit. The Mayor’s office discovered this request for assistance only when the anti-terrorist police again contacted the Mayor’s Office to inquire why their request had not been met. The assistance requested was then carried out. Failure to inform the Mayor’s Office immediately of any matter relating to anti-terrorist activity is one of the most serious derelictions of duty that can be imagined of any person employed by the Greater London Authority.
Following this, despite being the staff member in the Mayor’s Office responsible for relationships with the Asian communities and the Muslim community, on 7 July 2005, the day of the terrorist bombing of London, Atma Singh failed to contact the Mayor's Office in any way on that day or those that followed. He also did not contact City Hall following the attempted bombing of London on 21 July.
Finally, contrary to Martin Bright’s claim that Mr Singh received £20,000 to pay him off following an allegation he was subject to harassment, in fact the payment was made with the goal of seeking to minimise any information regarding the activity of anti-terrorism forces becoming public - as would have occurred if it had been necessary to prove Mr Singh’s gross misconduct at an industrial tribunal. Following his breach of agreement the Greater London Authority is therefore now taking legal advice regarding seeking repayment of this sum from Mr Singh.
It has since come to light that Mr Singh in fact formed a commercial company on 22 March 2005, while still a Greater London Authority employee, which offered consultancy services for money. The website of this company is illustrated with photographs of himself and the Mayor of London.
Seeking to make financial gain from staff membership in, or association with, the Greater London Authority would be in clear violation of the code of conduct of the Greater London Authority. It would also therefore be appropriate for the media to ask Mr Singh, and the media outlets to which he has spoken, whether he has received any payments either from the Dispatches programme or any other section of the media.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For media queries please contact the GLA press Office on 020 7983 4070 (numbers not for publication)
For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000
For non-media enquiries please call the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100
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