Briefsfromshittu

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Crackdown On Prisoner Compensation Claims

The Ministry of Justice has launched a crackdown on compensation claims lodged by prisoners across England and Wales.

Almost 14,000 individual payments were handed out to inmates in the past year, nearly double the number made the year before.

The department said litigation costs had now reached £29m and varied from claims of racial discrimination to being bitten by a rat.

Justice Minister Dominic Raab said: "Of course the Prison Service must be accountable, but taxpayers will be staggered to learn that the costs of litigation against it reached £29m last year.

"We have ordered an independent audit to make sure we are not being taken for a ride. We want public money focused on protecting the public and reforming offenders."

Recent claims against the Prison Service include the case of Michael Adebolajo, convicted of murdering soldier Lee Rigby outside his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London in May 2013.

Adebolajo is seeking £20,000 following an incident at Belmarsh high security prison in July 2013.

He claimed he was assaulted by five prison officers who knocked out two front teeth.

The officers have been told they have no case to answer but Adebolajo's compensation case is still ongoing.

Another convicted terrorist tried to claim more than £1,200 for an invasion of his privacy.

Abdulla Ahmed Ali, serving life for a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners with liquid bombs, sued for compensation.

It followed an allegation that two boxes containing his personal possessions, including legal mail, were opened, searched and removed in 2013.

His case was dismissed, but like many such claims, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) had to invest thousands of pounds in defending itself.

Another case earlier this year caused outrage, after a convicted three-time killer successfully sued for compensation twice in as many years.

Kevan Thakrar is serving life for the murder of three fellow drug dealers in Hertfordshire in 2008.

In January this year he was awarded £1,000 from the MoJ after a judge ruled that a guard squirted shampoo on the Thakra's CDs during a prison transfer.

The 27-year-old was awarded more than £800 by the same judge in 2014 after items including his nose hair clippers were damaged in jail.

In another unusual case, a prisoner is set to sue for compensation after claiming he was bitten by a rat.

Chire Henderson, an inmate at HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire, a 1,100-capacity prison, said he was bitten by the rodent inside his cell.

If successful, he could be in line for several thousand pounds in compensation.

Figures show that in the last financial year, £28.8m was spent handling claims. That figure includes damages, legal advice and legal representation in cases that made it to court.

For the same period the year before, the overall figure was £21.1m.

Steve Gillian, General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said the MoJ crackdown on compensation claims was long overdue.

He said: "The POA welcome any tightening up of spurious compensation claims as some of the settlements to prisoners have been ridiculous.

"Most claims are frivolous and the MoJ and Government should remember tax payers money is not their money and they should stop playing fast and loose.

"Ironically the MoJ appeal even to the Supreme Court when a member of staff is claiming injury, yet they appear to want to settle every claim a prisoner makes"

The Ministry of Justice has now commissioned a top law firm to carry out an independent audit of thousands of recent claims to determine the best way of cracking down on bogus and illegitimate claims.

Iran billionaire Babak Zanjani sentenced to death

Billionaire Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani has been sentenced to death for corruption, justice officials say.

He was arrested in December 2013 after accusations that he withheld billions in oil revenue channelled through his companies. He denies the allegations.

Zanjani, 42, was convicted of fraud and economic crimes, a judiciary spokesperson said at a press briefing.

One of Iran's richest men, Zanjani was blacklisted by the US and EU for helping Iran evade oil sanctions.

Two others were sentenced to death along with him and all were ordered to repay embezzled funds. The ruling can be appealed.

In a separate development, a cargo of Iranian crude oil arrived at a Spanish refinery in San Roque on Sunday, the first delivery to an EU state since sanctions were lifted.

The Monte Toledo offloaded 1m barrels at the refinery belonging to Spanish oil company Cepsa.

Before the oil embargo imposed by the EU in 2012, one in every five barrels of crude Iran exported was sold to refineries in Europe.

'Just a debtor'

Zohreh Rezalee, a lawyer for Zanjani, told the BBC the verdict was politically motivated and an appeal would be lodged.

"We believe that Babak Zanjani in this case is just a debtor," the lawyer said.

Who is Babak Zanjani?

Played a key role in helping Iran get around sanctions to sell oil abroad during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
From Dubai, he controlled a global network of more than 60 companies involved in everything from cosmetics to air travel and banking
Accused of impropriety after Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who pledged to tackle high-level corruption, became president in 2013
Born in Tehran, attended a Turkish university and became a driver for Iran's central bank head in 1999, when he started out in currency exchange
Said he was worth $13.5bn but was reported to have significant debts

Downfall of a billionaire

Zanjani had acknowledged using a web of companies in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Malaysia to sell millions of barrels of Iranian oil on behalf of the government since 2010.

Before his arrest, Zanjani had argued that international sanctions were preventing him from handing over $1.2bn still owed to the government.

But at his recent trial, prosecutors said he still owed the government more than $2.7bn in oil revenue.

He was taken into custody a day after President Hassan Rouhani ordered his government to fight "financial corruption", particularly "privileged figures" who had "taken advantage of economic sanctions" under the previous government.

'Corrupt parasites'

The trial, unusually, was held in public, AFP news agency reports.

In a 2013 interview with the BBC, Zanjani played down his political connections in Iran, saying: "I don't do anything political, I just do business."

Zanjani has said he is worth about some $13.5bn.

For years things worked well for the businessman who appeared in photos with some high-ranking officials and was not shy of showing off his wealth, such as private jets and luxury cars, Amir Azimi of BBC Persian reports.

But when the local media started to report on his wealth, he came under the spotlight and under suspicion.

The death sentence could have wider implications for Iran's economy, where many were involved in finding ways to avoid the sanctions, our analyst adds.

International sanctions on Iran were liftedin January after a watchdog confirmed it had complied with a deal designed to prevent it developing nuclear weapons.

Oil minister Bijan Zanganeh has urged foreign investors to avoid middlemen, whom he describes as "corrupt parasites".

Zanjani was convicted of "corruption on earth", the most serious offence in Iran's criminal code.

Other wealthy individuals have been executed after being found guilty of similar charges.

In May 2014, businessman Mahafarid Amir-Khosravi was hanged after being convicted of embezzling billions of dollars.

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Dies Aged 94

Former US First Lady Nancy Reagan has died at her home in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, aged 94.

The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to a statement from her office.

She will be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, next to her husband, former US President Ronald Reagan. He died in June 2004.

The former B movie actress married Reagan in 1952 when he was president of the Screen Actors Guild.

She was California's first lady from 1967-75 while her husband was governor of the state and US first lady from 1981-89.

hey had two children together.

During her time in the White House, she led the "Just Say No" anti-drugs campaign.

She was fiercely protective of her husband and became even more so following the assassination attempt against him outside a Hilton hotel in Washington DC in 1981.

Her consultations with an astrologer, who recommended which days were best for him to leave the White House, influenced the US president's schedule.

Her star-gazing led to clashes with her husband's chief of staff, Donald Regan, and a power struggle that ended with the latter's resignation.

She was also criticised for spending too much during her time in the White House, including on pricey china.

Reagan was devoted to her husband and cared for him during his nearly decade-long battle with Alzheimer's.

She broke with fellow Republicans in recent years to back stem cell research as a way to search for a cure for the disease.

Troubled Energy Firm Npower To Axe 2500 Jobs

Npower, one of Britain's biggest energy suppliers, will outline plans this week to axe thousands of jobs ‎as its German owner attempts to revive the company's weak financial performance.

Sky News has learnt that Npower will tell staff in the coming days that approximately 2500 roles at the company and its‎ partners are to be axed.

Sources said the proposals were still being finalised, with some of Npower’s directly employed workforce of 7500 at risk and the remainder of the cuts taking place at internal suppliers elsewhere in the RWE group and at outsourcing partners.

Including indirect employment, Npower’s operations support about 11,500 jobs in the UK - meaning that its workforce is braced for a reduction of over 20%.

The grim news will be delivered just days before competition regulators announce a series of measures aimed at making the UK's energy market more transparent.

Npower, which is part of the German utility RWE, and rivals such as British Gas and SSE have announced a round of price cuts ‎in recent months, but have been criticised by ministers and consumer groups for failing to go further.

The rapid decline in oil prices during the last year has prompted calls for much bigger cuts.

Npower said last month that it would reduce gas prices for residential customers by just over 5% on March 28, equating to a £32 annual bill cut for households using a standard domestic ‎tariff.

Npower's plans to cut so many jobs will ignite concerns about its ability to improve a customer service record which is already judged to be among the worst in a tarnished industry.

Insiders pointed, however, to the beginnings of a turnaround in its performance, with the number of complaints halving in 2015.

Last year, RWE ousted Paul Massara, Npower's former boss, and installed‎ Paul Coffey, the British company's chief operating officer, in his place.

The management changes followed a decline in Npower's customer base following a string of billing problems.

In December, the company was ordered to pay a £26m settlement by the energy regulator, Ofgem, for "failing to treat customers fairly" - the second such fine it has had imposed on it.

Npower now has roughly 5m customers, making it the smallest of the ‘big six’ suppliers.

The company lost £48m in the nine months to the end of October, largely as a consequence of the billing system problems.

The job cuts will be the latest piece of bad news affecting RWE in the UK, following last month’s accident at the power station it owns in Didcot, Oxfordshire, which is thought to have left several people dead.

The redundancies at Npower are unrelated to the Didcot tragedy.

It is not only in Britain that RWE, Npower's German owner, has been experiencing challenges.

It announced last month that it was scrapping its full-year dividend, blaming sliding earnings from its electricity generation business and the changing political sentiment towards nuclear power in its home market.

The dividend move will save around €600m (£464m).

RWE will announce annual results on Tuesday, and is expected to set out further details of its plans for Npower alongside them.

Two days later, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will unveil its final proposals arising from a two-year inquiry into the energy sector.

Npower declined to comment on Sunday.

'Platoons' Of Driverless Lorries For UK Roads

"Platoons" of up to 10 driveless lorries travelling just metres apart could be coming to Britain's motorways.

The automated juggernauts are set to take to UK roads for the first time this year in testing backed by the Government.

In next week's Budget, Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce funding for the trial as part of an initiative to improve the fuel efficiency of long-haul journeys.

A driver in the lead vehicle would control the steering, acceleration and braking of the convoy.

But the drones would have a driver in each cab as a safety measure and would regain control if there was an emergency.

The Government wants to bring major improvements to journeys in a technological revolution of roads, including better safety.

By travelling in a tightly-packed convoy, it is hoped the lorries' fuel consumption will improve by reducing drag.

A stretch of the M6 near Carlisle has reportedly been earmarked as a potential test route for the automated juggernauts.

In Germany, a driverless lorry developed by Daimler was tested on a public road last October.

But transport groups have raised doubts about plans for the UK.

The AA said although such a scheme could work in other countries, it may not be right for the UK as Britain has more motorway entrances and exits.

Spokesman Paul Watters explained a procession of driverless lorries would block slip roads.

He said: "Motorists will certainly be very nervous about the prospect and will need considerable reassurance that it will be safe.

"Motorways are pretty congested in the UK, they are about the most congested in Europe, and there will be problems in how they access and exit the roads."

"There are lots of logistical problems," he added.

The Department for Transport could not confirm the location of the test route or timetable and would not speculate on whether the research will receive funding in the Budget, although it said planning for trials was under way.

A spokeswoman said: "New technology has the potential to bring major improvements to journeys and the UK is in a unique position to lead the way for the testing of connected and driverless vehicles.

"We are planning trials of HGV platoons - which enable vehicles to move in a group so they use less fuel - and will be in a position to say more in due course."