David Kelly was the biological weapons expert who gave an interview to Andrew Gilligan of the BBC which revealed the "sexing up" of the Blair dossier justifying the Iraq War. He was found dead after giving evidence to a Commons Select Committee where he confirmed that he was indeed the source.
In a new book, a Liberal Democrat MP, Norman Baker, claims that he did not commit suicide as the Hutton Inquiry concluded. Rather he was murdered, most likely by Iraqis opposed to Saddam who feared he would make further revelations about the lies that took Britain into the war. The murder was covered up by the British establishment who feared a diplomatic crisis.
You may remember in Colin Powell's infamous presentation to the UN that he claimed Saddam had mobile biological weapons laboratories on the backs of trucks. He even produced a cut-away drawing illustrating the "equipment" it contained. Those trucks were found and examined after the invasion. On June 15, 2003 The Observer reported that they were not labs:
Instead, a British scientist and biological weapons expert, who has examined the trailers in Iraq, told The Observer last week: 'They are not mobile germ warfare laboratories. You could not use them for making biological weapons. They do not even look like them. They are exactly what the Iraqis said they were - facilities for the production of hydrogen gas to fill balloons.'
That scientist was later confirmed as Dr Kelly. Kelly had already spoken to Andrew Gilligan who made a rather over-excited live report in the first part of the morning Today show on Radio. Although substantially correct, he reported his unattributed source as saying the "dodgy dossier" had been "sexed up". In a later "Mail on Sunday" article, Gilligan identified Blair's head of communications, Alistair Campbell, as the person who had insisted on including a claim that Saddam had weapons capable of being used within 45 minutes.
After being outed by the Government, Kelly appeared before the Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs on July 15 and was aggressively questioned by at least one member. The following day he was found dead in the fields near his home. These events are in more detail on the Wikipedia page about Kelly.
Baker's book is being serialized by the Daily Mail and the first part appears Saturday. The story behind the writing of his book is one of mysterious burglaries of computers and evidence from his contacts. In his previewhe makes the case for the death not being a suicide or accident and points some fingers. Baker acknowledges that those loyal to Saddam had an interest in killing Kelly but there were other Iraqis with more to hide.
Much of the information about Saddam's supposed weapons of mass destruction, on which Britain and America based their case for war, was provided by Iraqi dissidents eager to see his overthrow.
This information was sensational and, as events turned out, wildly distorted and in most regards plain false.
One of the central figures here was Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the so-called Iraqi National Congress and the CIA's favourite Iraqi opposition politician.
A financier with a decidedly chequered past - he was found guilty of embezzlement and forgery after $158 million disappeared from a bank he founded in Jordan - Chalabi made no secret of his wish to drag the United States into war with Saddam and was apparently prepared to say anything to achieve that end.
A key Iraqi informer codenamed "Curveball" - who claimed to have led a team equipping mobile laboratories to produce biological weapons for Saddam, but was later entirely discredited - is believed to have been the brother of one of Chalabi's aides.
Chalabi's fingerprints can also be found on the now notorious claims by another defector that Saddam had 20 or more secret sites where weapons of mass destruction could be found. Subsequent searches showed this allegation to be utterly without foundation.
You will recall Kelly had debunked the laboratory claim exactly a month before his death. Baker identifies others with an interest in silencing Kelly, Iyad Allawi:
Before the Iraq invasion, Allawi's organisation - just like Ahmed Chalabi's - was responsible for eye-catching but groundless intelligence exploited by supporters of war.
In the case of Allawi's group, it was reports passed to MI6 in the spring and summer of 2002, including the false claim that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction which he could deploy at 45 minutes' notice.
This now infamous "45-minute claim" fed through to the dossier of intelligence which was used as the justification for our involvement in the invasion of Iraq.
It was this dossier, and the 45-minute claim in particular, that David Kelly challenged in his crucial interview with the BBC.
While it is easy to dismiss this as a conspiracy theory, Baker has a reputation for revealing facts uncomfortable for the government since entering Parliament in 1997.
In 1997 he won the Best Newcomer MP award for his contribution to environmental issues. He has since also twice come runner up in the annual Channel 4 awards - once in the Best Questionner section and once in the Best Opposition MP section.
In 2001 he won the Spectator Magazine's Inquisitor of the Year Award for pursuing the Mandelson/Hinduja passport affair.
In 2002 he was voted, by MPs, as the Channel 4 Opposition MP of the Year.
http://www.epolitix.com/...
Baker is now calling for a proper police investigation of Kelly's death. If the record is anything to go by, the real facts will only come out after the 30 year secrecy period has gone by. Certainly nothing will be let stand in the way of Blair becoming President of Europe.